Effect of lysozyme on mycobacteria.
The effect of lysozyme on the growth of several strains of mycobacteria was examined at pH 5.0-7.0 in Dubos medium containing various concentrations of lysozyme (100-2,000 microgram/ml). Mycobacterium smegmatis and M. phlei were susceptible to lysozyme at pH 5.0-7.0. The effect of lysozyme was marked between pH 6.0 and 7.0 and the colony counts were reduced to approximately 0.1-10% after incubation with 100 micrograms of lysozyme per ml for 48 hr. At pH 5.0, 10-40% of the organisms survived treatment with 1,000 micrograms of lysozyme per ml for 48 hr. M. bovis strain BCG, M. tuberculosis, and M. fortuitum appeared to be more resistant to lysozyme than M. smegmatis and M. phlei. M. smegmatis and M. phlei did not contain detectable amounts of poly-L-glutamic acid, although the susceptibility of the mycobacteria to lysozyme did not correlate with the amounts of the polymer in the cell walls. The role of lysozyme in animal infections with so-called saprophytic mycobacteria is discussed.
D000818:Animals; D003470:Culture Media; D006099:Granuloma / Q000382:microbiology; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007185:Incubators; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000201:enzymology; D009113:Muramidase / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000254:growth & development*; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000254:growth & development; D009168:Mycobacterium phlei / Q000254:growth & development; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000254:growth & development; D011099:Polyglutamic Acid; D011817:Rabbits
D003470:Culture Media; D011099:Polyglutamic Acid; D009113:Muramidase