ACTION OF POLYMYXIN ON CHOLERA VIBRIOS
II. EFFECT ON EL TOR VIBRIOS
1966 Volume 12 Issue 2 Pages 179-190
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1966 Volume 12 Issue 2 Pages 179-190
The action of polymyxin on El Tor vibrios was studied by following the growth pattern of the vibrios in polymyxin-containings media under various conditions.
The results suggest that the antibiotic gets adsorbed on the cell surface whereafter its activity is determined by the metabolic state of the El Tor cells. The resting cells proved to be sensitive, a 24-hr old culture showed an initial period of inhibition followed by normal growth and a 2-hr old culture continued to grow normally in presence of the antibiotic.
The degree of sensitivity appeared to be dependent also on the proportion between the number of cells and the concentration of polymyxin.
It is suggested that an intracellular metabolic process which inactivates the polymyxin after its adsorption on the cell surface may be responsible for the resistance to the antibiotic shown by growing El Tor cells.
