[Lytic activity of aerobic sporulating bacteria]

Abstract

The paper deals with lytic activity of 226 strains belonging to 13 species of Bacillus genus, isolated from various econiches, in respect of the cells of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans as representatives of Gram-positive, Gram-negative and yeast groups of microorganisms. All the studied strains of bacilli displayed lytic activity of various extent and various spectrum of substrate specificity. Possible dependence of the extent of activity and substrate specificity of bacilli strains on their species belonging and isolation sources did not display distinctly. Two different factors of aggression and antagonism of aerobic bacilli--the capacity to lyse as well as to inhibit growth of test-cultures do not correlate and can either coincide or not coincide. The Bacillus genus and its species are characterized, to a certain extent, as a lytically active group and are estimated as the promising source of obtaining highly active producers of lytic enzymes different as to their properties. Highly active producers of lytic enzymes with the primary degree of lysis from 30% to 60% of the cells of test cultures during 1 hour of the reaction have been obtained.