﻿CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC 
  AGENTS 
  — 
  WEINTRAUB 
  553 
  

  

  The 
  application 
  of 
  tyrothricin 
  after 
  surgical 
  operations 
  on 
  the 
  nose, 
  

   sinuses, 
  and 
  mastoid 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  to 
  prevent 
  postoperative 
  in- 
  

   fections 
  and 
  so 
  to 
  reduce 
  fever, 
  swelling, 
  and 
  pain 
  in 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   instances. 
  There 
  is 
  some 
  indication 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  wound 
  

   healing 
  may 
  be 
  stimulated 
  by 
  this 
  agent. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  among 
  even 
  the 
  

   susceptible 
  species 
  of 
  bacteria 
  there 
  may 
  exist, 
  or 
  be 
  developed 
  during 
  

   the 
  course 
  of 
  treatment, 
  strains 
  which 
  are 
  very 
  resistant 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  

   of 
  tyrothricin. 
  Treatment 
  with 
  this 
  material 
  may 
  occasionally 
  fail 
  

   also 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  mixed 
  bacterial 
  infection, 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  certain 
  

   Gram-negative 
  bacteria 
  appear 
  to 
  counteract 
  the 
  activity 
  against 
  

   susceptible 
  Gram-positive 
  forms. 
  A 
  further 
  point 
  of 
  importance 
  is 
  

   that 
  the 
  infected 
  area 
  must 
  be 
  accessible 
  to 
  local 
  treatment. 
  

  

  Obviously, 
  gramicidin 
  (tyrothricin) 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  cure-all 
  but, 
  with 
  due 
  

   regard 
  for 
  its 
  limitations, 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  furnish 
  a 
  valuable 
  addi- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  the 
  medical 
  armamentarium. 
  

  

  AGENTS 
  FROM 
  BACILLUS 
  MESENTERICUS 
  

  

  Another 
  spore-bearing 
  bacillus 
  which 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  recognized 
  as 
  

   having 
  antagonistic 
  properties 
  is 
  Bacillus 
  mesentericus, 
  the 
  so-called 
  

   potato 
  bacillus. 
  In 
  1904 
  it 
  was 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  antibacterial 
  principle 
  

   occurs 
  in 
  the 
  culture 
  medium 
  and 
  can 
  diffuse 
  through 
  a 
  collodion 
  mem- 
  

   brane. 
  In 
  1939 
  the 
  active 
  agent 
  was 
  identified 
  as 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  isova- 
  

   leric 
  and 
  oleic 
  acids, 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  well-known 
  chemical 
  com- 
  

   pounds 
  found 
  in 
  biological 
  materials. 
  Oleic 
  acid, 
  which 
  is 
  especially 
  

   widespread 
  among 
  plants 
  and 
  animals, 
  is 
  the 
  more 
  potent 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   and 
  also 
  possesses 
  hemolytic 
  properties. 
  The 
  agents 
  are 
  especially 
  

   active 
  against 
  diphtheria 
  and 
  pseudodiphtheria 
  bacilli, 
  although 
  other 
  

   bacteria 
  are 
  inhibited 
  by 
  higher 
  concentrations. 
  

  

  OTHER 
  AGENTS 
  OF 
  BACTERIAL 
  ORIGIN 
  

  

  A 
  great 
  many 
  instances 
  of 
  bacterial 
  antagonism 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  

   and 
  the 
  indications 
  are 
  that 
  a 
  considerable 
  proportion 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  due 
  

   to 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  specific 
  inhibitory 
  substances. 
  The 
  information 
  

   available 
  is 
  so 
  fragmentary, 
  however, 
  that 
  a 
  detailed 
  discussion 
  of 
  

   these 
  agents 
  would 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  justified 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  account. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  the 
  bacterial 
  species 
  from 
  which 
  cell-free 
  antimicrobial 
  prep- 
  

   arations 
  have 
  been 
  obtained 
  are: 
  Pseudomonas 
  fluorescens, 
  Pseudo- 
  

   monas 
  putida, 
  Pseudomonas 
  phosphorescens, 
  Proteus 
  vulgaris, 
  Ser- 
  

   ratia 
  marcescens, 
  Staphylococcus 
  aureus, 
  Staphylococcus 
  albus, 
  Kleb- 
  

   siella 
  pneumoniae, 
  Vibrio 
  comma, 
  Bacillus 
  adhaerens, 
  Bacillus 
  

   anthracis, 
  Bacillus 
  mycoides, 
  Bacillus 
  subtilis, 
  Bacillus 
  simplex, 
  Ba- 
  

   cillus 
  cereus, 
  Escherichia 
  coli, 
  and 
  Mycobacterium 
  tuberculosis. 
  

  

  