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SUMMARY: Penicillin in concentrations up to 100 units/ml. in broth or synthetic media has no demonstrable effect, after 20 hr. incubation at 37°, on the activities of Staphylococcus K phage, Coli-phage C 36, Coli-dysentery phage S13, a Streptococcal phage and a Bacillus subtilis phage.
The simultaneous action of penicillin and phage on young cultures of Staphylococcus aureus (Oxford) in broth or synthetic medium at 37° produces, under certain conditions, a more rapid lysis than occurs in the presence of penicillin or phage alone.
The phenomenon of accelerated lysis through the joint action of penicillin and phage occurs with other organisms besides Staph. aureus, e.g. B. subtilis and Streptococcus pyogenes, Group C, differing from that with Staph. aureus only in degree.
Penicillin does not affect the adsorption of phage by the organisms. When the amount of antibiotic is sufficient to interfere adversely with the growth of the cell then the multiplication of phage decreases. It is suggested that certain balanced intracellular reactions of metabolism are disturbed by the action of penicillin, and as a result, intermediates essential to growth both of cell and phage cease to be available.
A phage-inhibiting substance was demonstrable in certain instances when Staph. aureus (Oxford) cultures were lysed by penicillin.