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. 1989 Apr;171(4):2252–2257. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.4.2252-2257.1989

Onset of penicillin-induced bacteriolysis in staphylococci is cell cycle dependent.

H Maidhof 1, L Johannsen 1, H Labischinski 1, P Giesbrecht 1
PMCID: PMC209890  PMID: 2703473

Abstract

Synchronously growing staphylococci were treated with "lytic" concentrations of penicillin at different stages of their division cycle. Coulter Counter measurements and light microscopy were used to determine the onset of bacteriolysis. Independent of the stage of the division cycle at which penicillin was added, (i) the cells were always able to perform the next cell division; (ii) the following division, however, did not take place; and (iii) instead, at this time, when the onset of the subsequent cell separation was observed in control cultures, lysis of the penicillin-treated cells occurred. These results support a recent model (P. Giesbrecht, H. Labischinski, and J. Wecke, Arch. Microbiol. 141:315-324, 1985) explaining penicillin-induced bacteriolysis of staphylococci as the result of a special morphogenetic mistake during cross wall formation.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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