Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1975 Jun;7(6):864–870. doi: 10.1128/aac.7.6.864

Some Effects of Subinhibitory Concentrations of Penicillin on the Structure and Division of Staphylococci

Victor Lorian 1,2
PMCID: PMC429242  PMID: 1155930

Abstract

A strain of Staphylococcus aureus was planted on filter membranes placed on Trypticase soy agar (BBL). After incubation, the membranes with growing staphylococci were transferred to Trypticase soy agar containing a subinhibitory concentration of penicillin (one-third minimal inhibitory concentration) and again incubated. The membranes were then returned to drug-free agar and incubated once more. Counts of the colony-forming units and electron microscopy were carried out at several time intervals. When grown on agar containing penicillin, the staphylococci formed what appeared to be abnormally large cells with multiple and unusually thick septa. Examination of a number of sections showed that these large cells were in reality clusters of staphylococci that had divided but failed to separate. When these large cells were subsequently grown on drug-free agar, smaller cells and normal staphylococci emerged. Subinhibitory concentrations of penicillin do not kill staphylococci; they seem to inhibit lysis of cross walls, preventing the separation of otherwise divided cells.

Full text

PDF
864

Images in this article

866Image
on p.866
867Image
on p.867
868Image
on p.868
869Image
on p.869

Selected References

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

  1. Blumberg P. M., Strominger J. L. Inactivation of D-alanine carboxypeptidase by penicillins and cephalosporins is not lethal in Bacillus subtilis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971 Nov;68(11):2814–2817. doi: 10.1073/pnas.68.11.2814. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Greenwood D., O'Grady F. Scanning electron microscopy of Staphyloccus aureus exposed to some common anti-staphylococcal agents. J Gen Microbiol. 1972 Apr;70(2):263–270. doi: 10.1099/00221287-70-2-263. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hartmann R., Höltje J. V., Schwarz U. Targets of penicillin action in Escherichia coli. Nature. 1972 Feb 25;235(5339):426–429. doi: 10.1038/235426a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Higgins M. L., Pooley H. M., Shockman G. D. Site of initiation of cellular autolysis in Streptococcus faecalis as seen by electron microscopy. J Bacteriol. 1970 Aug;103(2):504–512. doi: 10.1128/jb.103.2.504-512.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Higgins M. L., Shockman G. D. Model for cell wall growth of Streptococcus faecalis. J Bacteriol. 1970 Feb;101(2):643–648. doi: 10.1128/jb.101.2.643-648.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Higgins M. L., Shockman G. D. Procaryotic cell division with respect to wall and membranes. CRC Crit Rev Microbiol. 1971 May;1(1):29–72. doi: 10.3109/10408417109104477. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Lorain V., Sabath L. D. Penicillins and cephalosporins: differences in morphologic effects on Proteus mirabilis. J Infect Dis. 1972 May;125(5):560–564. doi: 10.1093/infdis/125.5.560. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. MITCHELL P., MOYLE J. Autolytic release and osmotic properties of protoplasts from Staphylococcus aureus. J Gen Microbiol. 1957 Feb;16(1):184–194. doi: 10.1099/00221287-16-1-184. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. MURRAY R. G., FRANCOMBE W. H., MAYALL B. H. The effect of penicillin on the structure of staphylococcal cell walls. Can J Microbiol. 1959 Dec;5:641–648. doi: 10.1139/m59-078. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Rogers H. J. Bacterial growth and the cell envelope. Bacteriol Rev. 1970 Jun;34(2):194–214. doi: 10.1128/br.34.2.194-214.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Simionescu N., Simionescu M., Palade G. E. Permeability of intestinal capillaries. Pathway followed by dextrans and glycogens. J Cell Biol. 1972 May;53(2):365–392. doi: 10.1083/jcb.53.2.365. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Strominger J. L. Penicillin-sensitive enzymatic reactions in bacterial cell wall synthesis. Harvey Lect. 1968 1969;64:179–213. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Tipper D. J., Strominger J. L. Mechanism of action of penicillins: a proposal based on their structural similarity to acyl-D-alanyl-D-alanine. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1965 Oct;54(4):1133–1141. doi: 10.1073/pnas.54.4.1133. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Tomasz A. Biological consequences of the replacement of choline by ethanolamine in the cell wall of Pneumococcus: chanin formation, loss of transformability, and loss of autolysis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1968 Jan;59(1):86–93. doi: 10.1073/pnas.59.1.86. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Warren G. H., Stasny J. T. Electron microscopic study of the action of nafcillin on Staphylococcus aureus. Chemotherapy. 1968;13(6):356–361. doi: 10.1159/000220569. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Wise E. M., Jr, Park J. T. Penicillin: its basic site of action as an inhibitor of a peptide cross-linking reaction in cell wall mucopeptide synthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1965 Jul;54(1):75–81. doi: 10.1073/pnas.54.1.75. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES