Do Broth Culture Filtrates Contain a Bacterial Growth-Inhibiting Substance?

Abstract

In 1923, Besredka reported that staphylococcus broth culture filtrates contain a substance which inhibits the growth of the homologous organism, but which exerts little or no effect upon the development of heterologous bacteria. He claimed, further, that this substance, to which he gave the name "antivirus," originates as a result of the disintegration of the bacterial cell and is diffused into the surrounding medium. These conceptions are summarized in the following quotations: Quand on filtre sur bougie une culture de Staphylocoques en bouillon, Age6 de 18 jours, on obtient un liquide qui, au premier abord, ne diff6re pas sensiblement du bouillon ordinaire: .... ensemence6 avec des microbes vari6s, ce liquide donne des cultures pouvant presque rivaliser, quant a leur richesse, avec du bouillon normal..... Seuls, les Staphylocoques-quelle qu'en soit l'origine-reensemences dans ce liquide, n'y poussent pas: ils conservent leur vitalit6, mais sont incapable d'y faire souche. La culture filtr6e renferme donc une substance qui paralyse l'activit6 des Staphylocoques, aussi bien in vivo que in vitro. .... Enfin, comme l'indique son mode d'obtention, cette substance a le pouvoir de diffuser dans le milieu ambiant.

Investigation of the Production of Growth-Promoting and Growth-Inhibiting Factors by Ultra-Violet Irradiated Microörganisms

“…The increased toxic effect of the irradiation products for S. aureus, at high concentrations, as compared with control concentrates, the evidence for the production of toxic factors by thoroughly washed organisms standing for long periods in the control suspensions, and the fact that (under the conditions of the experiments) the inhibiting factors were not capable of actually decreasing yeast growth but only of reducing the extent of stimulation obtained are observations especially interesting in view of Besredka's reports (1923Besredka's reports ( , 1925Besredka's reports ( , 1930) that brothculture filtrates of Staphylococcus and other organisms contain substances (which he attributed to cell disintegration products) that inhibit the growth of homologous strains but not of heterologous strains. Besredka's results have been questioned by Barnes (1931) who failed to duplicate them. Palgen (1935), on the other hand, published evidence supporting Besredka's findings.…”

Growth Factors of Lower Organisms

“…Such production of bacterial growth factors by bacteria is the probable explanation of some of the phenomena of symbiosis and "giant colony " formation as well as other less clearly defined growth effects which occur in mixed cultures-phenomena, the discussion of which is beyond the scope of this review. The amount of precise work that has been done on the subject is relatively small, and beyond a general statement that, in the case of a given species, growth may be enhanced or sometimes inhibited (see Barnes, 1931) by the presence of other living bacteria or their extracts, there is often little else to be said. For a general account, the reader is referred to Sergent (1928, pp.…”

The Effect of Metabolites ofEscherichia colion the Growth of Coli-Aerogenes Bacteria

“…In contrast to these workers, Graham-Smith (1920), Barnes (1931), and Hershey and Bronfenbrenner (1937) ascribe the cessation of growth of bacteria to lack of available food material.…”