Skip to main content
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1966 Nov;92(5):1510–1514. doi: 10.1128/jb.92.5.1510-1514.1966

Bactericidal Action of Nalidixic Acid on Bacillus subtilis

Thomas M Cook 1, Karen G Brown 1, James V Boyle 1, William A Goss 1
PMCID: PMC276451  PMID: 4958883

Abstract

Cook, Thomas M. (Sterling-Winthrop Research Institute, Rensselaer, N.Y.), Karen G. Brown, James V. Boyle, and William A. Goss. Bactericidal action of nalidixic acid on Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 92:1510–1514. 1966.—Nalidixic acid at moderate concentrations exerts a bactericidal action upon the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. The synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in B. subtilis is selectively inhibited by nalidixic acid at concentrations approximating the minimal growth inhibitory concentration. Higher concentrations (25 μg/ml) result in a 30 to 35% degradation of DNA. After extended exposure to nalidixic acid, protein synthesis is also depressed. Cells of B. subtilis treated with nalidixic acid exhibit characteristic morphological abnormalities including cell elongation and development of gram-negative areas. From the results presented, it can be concluded that the mode of action of nalidixic acid upon susceptible bacteria is similar for both gram-positive and gram-negative species.

Full text

PDF
1511

Images in this article

Selected References

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

  1. Cook T. M., Deitz W. H., Goss W. A. Mechanism of action of nalidixic acid on Escherichia coli. IV. Effects on the stability of cellular constituents. J Bacteriol. 1966 Feb;91(2):774–779. doi: 10.1128/jb.91.2.774-779.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Deitz W. H., Cook T. M., Goss W. A. Mechanism of action of nalidixic acid on Escherichia coli. 3. Conditions required for lethality. J Bacteriol. 1966 Feb;91(2):768–773. doi: 10.1128/jb.91.2.768-773.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. GOSS W. A., DEITZ W. H., COOK T. M. MECHANISM OF ACTION OF NALIDIXIC ACID ON ESCHERICHIA COLI. J Bacteriol. 1964 Oct;88:1112–1118. doi: 10.1128/jb.88.4.1112-1118.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. GOSS W. A., DEITZ W. H., COOK T. M. MECHANISM OF ACTION OF NALIDIXIC ACID ON ESCHERICHIA COLI.II. INHIBITION OF DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID SYNTHESIS. J Bacteriol. 1965 Apr;89:1068–1074. doi: 10.1128/jb.89.4.1068-1074.1965. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. ROODYN D. B., MANDEL H. G. A simple membrane fractionation method for determining the distribution of radioactivity in chemical fractions of Bacillus cereus. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1960 Jun 17;41:80–88. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(60)90371-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Tomasz A., Mosser J. L. On the nature of the pneumococcal activator substance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1966 Jan;55(1):58–66. doi: 10.1073/pnas.55.1.58. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES