Distribution of bacteriocin production among group a hemolytic streptococci

Bacteriocins of gram-positive bacteria.

“…Production ofhydrogen peroxide may be prevented either by anaerobic incubation or by incubation on medium supplemented with catalase (126,188,268) or peroxidase (126). Several investigators, in testing for bacteriocin production by beta-hemolytic streptococci (164,172,213,227), apparently did not exclude the possibility that inhibitory levels of hydrogen peroxide released by the test strains may have been responsible for the observed antagonism. Polarographic procedures have been utilized to demonstrate that bactericidal concentrations of hydrogen peroxide may accumulate in liquid cultures of group A streptococci (188).…”

“…Surveys of collections of group A streptococci have indicated a high frequency of inhibitory strains, assumed to be producing bacteriocins (164,172,213,227). In none ofthese studies was isolation and characterization of the inhibitory agent achieved and adequate precautions were not taken to exclude the occurrence of inhibition due to hydrogen peroxide formation.…”

Bacteriocine-Like Activity of Group-A Streptococci Due to the Production of Peroxide

“…lH, 83, and 152) are not identical with those tested by the supporters of the bacteriocine hypothesis, we cannot definitely prove that our conclusion also applies to their strains. In view of the wide distribution of peroxide formers among group-A streptococci (McLeod and Gordon, 1923a;Fuller and Maxted, 1939;Rosebury, Gale and Taylor, 1954;Noble and Vosti, 1971 ; the table) and the fact that Kuttner (1966), Kolesnichenko (1967), Overturf and Mortimer (1970), Kolesnichenko and Totolyan (1971) and Totolyan and Kolesnichenko (1971) performed their tests under conditions that did not exclude the action of peroxide, the question of whether they really encountered bacteriocines remains open. In the studies of the aforementioned workers, the frequency of antagonistic strains among the total strains tested ranged from 50% to nearly 100%.…”

“…They named the inhibitory substance " streptostasin " without relating it to the class of substances later called bacteriocines. More recently, several investigators (Kuttner, 1966 ;Kolesnichenko, 1967 ;Overturf and Mortimer, 1970;Kolesnichenko and Totolyan, 1971 ; Totolyan and Kolesnichenko, 197 1) have studied the production of antibacterial substances by group-A streptococci from the epidemiological point of view. These authors claimed that the inhibitory agents were bacteriocines, despite the fact that the respective substances had rather unusual properties.…”