﻿556 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  have 
  been 
  encountered 
  in 
  obtaining 
  preparations 
  of 
  uniform 
  anti- 
  

   bacterial 
  activity; 
  the 
  substance 
  apparently 
  has 
  comparatively 
  little 
  

   bacteriostatic 
  activity 
  but 
  is 
  more 
  highly 
  bactericidal 
  than 
  the 
  A 
  

   component. 
  

  

  Streptothricin. 
  — 
  This 
  antibacterial 
  agent, 
  which 
  is 
  produced 
  by 
  

   Actinomyces 
  lavendulae, 
  has 
  the 
  properties 
  of 
  an 
  organic 
  base; 
  up 
  to 
  

   the 
  present 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  prepared 
  in 
  pure 
  condition. 
  In 
  the 
  culture 
  

   fluid 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  associated 
  with 
  protein. 
  The 
  crude 
  streptothricin 
  

   is 
  strongly 
  bacteriostatic 
  toward 
  a 
  considerable 
  variety 
  of 
  Gram-posi- 
  

   tive 
  and 
  Gram-negative 
  organisms. 
  For 
  example, 
  Brucella 
  abortus, 
  

   the 
  etiological 
  agent 
  of 
  undulant 
  fever, 
  is 
  inhibited 
  completely 
  by 
  0.001 
  

   percent 
  ; 
  0.003 
  percent 
  is 
  inhibitory 
  for 
  the 
  causal 
  organisms 
  of 
  para- 
  

   typhoid 
  fever, 
  of 
  hog 
  cholera, 
  and 
  of 
  infectious 
  abortion 
  in 
  mares. 
  

   In 
  higher 
  concentrations 
  streptothricin 
  is 
  also 
  bactericidal. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  that 
  in 
  guinea 
  pigs 
  experimentally 
  infected 
  with 
  

   Brucella 
  abortus, 
  the 
  pathogens 
  can 
  be 
  eliminated 
  or 
  reduced 
  in 
  number 
  

   by 
  administration 
  of 
  streptothricin. 
  

  

  Proactinomycin. 
  — 
  This 
  name 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  an 
  antibacterial 
  sub- 
  

   stance 
  extracted 
  from 
  cultures 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Proactinomyces. 
  Like 
  

   streptothricin, 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  organic 
  base. 
  Its 
  action 
  is 
  primarily 
  

   bacteriostatic. 
  The 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  pneumococcus 
  is 
  inhibited 
  by 
  

   0.00007 
  percent; 
  0.0002 
  percent 
  inhibits 
  streptococci, 
  staphylococci, 
  

   meningococci, 
  and 
  anthrax 
  bacilli. 
  Proactinomycin 
  is 
  moderately 
  

   toxic 
  to 
  mice. 
  White 
  blood 
  corpuscles 
  are 
  unaffected 
  by 
  concentra- 
  

   tions 
  well 
  in 
  excess 
  of 
  those 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  inhibition 
  of 
  the 
  micro- 
  

   organisms 
  specified 
  above. 
  

  

  Micromonosporin. 
  — 
  This 
  agent, 
  obtained 
  quite 
  recently 
  from 
  a 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  of 
  Micromonospora, 
  has 
  been 
  but 
  little 
  studied. 
  It 
  is 
  bacterio- 
  

   static 
  toward 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  Gram-positive 
  bacteria, 
  whereas 
  all 
  the 
  

   Gram-negative 
  organisms 
  tested 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  very 
  resistant 
  to 
  

   its 
  action. 
  

  

  Lysozyme. 
  — 
  In 
  1922 
  Fleming 
  discovered 
  that 
  various 
  tissues 
  and 
  

   secretions 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  contain 
  a 
  substance 
  capable 
  of 
  causing 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   solution 
  of 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  bacteria. 
  This 
  agent, 
  named 
  "lysozyme," 
  is 
  

   present 
  also 
  in 
  egg 
  white. 
  A 
  bacteriolytic 
  substance 
  prepared 
  by 
  

   Russian 
  investigators 
  from 
  Actinomyces 
  violaceus 
  has 
  been 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  possibly 
  identical 
  with 
  lysozyme, 
  although 
  there 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  dif- 
  

   ferences 
  in 
  certain 
  properties 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  agents. 
  The 
  Actinomyces 
  

   lysozyme, 
  which 
  is 
  of 
  protein 
  nature, 
  exhibits 
  a 
  selective 
  action 
  against 
  

   certain 
  bacterial 
  species 
  but 
  can 
  dissolve 
  both 
  living 
  and 
  dead 
  cells. 
  

  

  AGENTS 
  FROM 
  MOLDS 
  

  

  Penicillin. 
  — 
  In 
  1929 
  Alexander 
  Fleming, 
  the 
  English 
  bacteriologist 
  

   who 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  previously 
  had 
  discovered 
  the 
  lysozyme 
  of 
  tissues, 
  was 
  

  

  