Activity of mitomycin C, other antibiotics, and serum against lysogenic bacteria.

Muschel, Louis H. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis), and Karen Schmoker. Activity of mitomycin C, other antibiotics, and serum against lysogenic bacteria. J. Bacteriol. 92:967-971. 1966.-Lysogenic bacteria were found to be more sensitive to the bactericidal action of mitomycin C or streptonigrin than the corresponding sensitive or indicator strains. This result may be attributed to the induction of phage production in lysogenic cells by these antibiotics. Lysogenic and sensitive bacteria were, however, equally sensitive to chloramphenicol, streptomycin, and polymyxin B. In contrast to their greater sensitivity to certain phage-inducing antibiotics, the lysogenic state resulted in greater resistance to the bactericidal reaction of serum mediated by the complement system. In general, therefore, the lysogenic state may result in either decreased or increased sensitivity to various antimicrobial agents.