Influence of Catalase Activity on Resistance of Coagulase-positive Staphylococci to Hydrogen Peroxide1

Abstract

Catalase activities of intact cells and cell-free extracts of coagulase-positive staphylococcal cultures 105B and 558D isolated from milk, culture 25042 from a clinical source, and Staphylococcus aureus 196E were determined at 32.2 C. Cultures were treated with 0.025 and 0.05 % hydrogen peroxide at 37.8 and 54.4 C and without hydrogen peroxide at 54.4 C to determine the relationship between catalase activity and resistance to these treatments. The relationship held true for cultures 105B and 196E; culture 105B had the lowest catalase activity and lowest resistance to H202 at 37.8 C, whereas S. aureus 196E possessed a high catalase activity and was most resistant at 37.8 C. Catalase activities of cell-free extracts of cultures 25042, 558, and 196E were similar, but resistance to H202 at 37.8 C was greater for culture 196E. The lower resistance of culture 25042 was related to low catalase activities of whole cells of this culture, which were only one-third that of wholecells ofculture 196E. Culture 558 was least resistant to heattreatmentat 54.4 C and showedthegreatest sensitivityto added H202 at this temperature.

Catalase: its effect on microbial enumeration

“…Catalase is sensitive to heat and rapidly loses activity at 35°C, at a pH near 7 (18). Amin and Olson (1) found that staphylococcal catalase activity decreased 10to 20-fold faster at 54.4°C than at 37.8°C, with the thermostability varying with the strain. When catalase activity of whole cells was measured by means of a Clark oxygen electrode (14), we found a decrease in activity between heated and unheated cells.…”

Bacterial effect of hydrogen peroxide on urinary tract pathogens

“…Although the precise mechanism of cell destruction is not known, H202 has been shown to cause membrane fragility (10), sensitivity to induced breaks in deoxyribonucleic acid strands (14), mutation (5), and inhibition of deoxyribonucleic acid repair in E. coli (15). The sensitivity of various strains of bacteria to H202 varies (3) and may be affected by levels of cellular catalase (an enzyme responsible for the degradation of H202 to water and oxygen), the growth phase of the organism, the culture medium, and temperature (1,2,16). Catalase is found in most aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria that possess cytochrome systems (4).…”

Dialogue between Staphylococcus aureus SA15 and Lactococcus garvieae strains experiencing oxidative stress

“…LABs such as Lactococcus lactis or Lactococcus garvieae are able to inhibit the proliferation of pathogens in cheese by the production of hydrogen peroxide [ 8 ], bacteriocins [ 9 ], by competition for nutrients [ 10 , 11 ] or by acidification of the medium [ 12 – 14 ]. Depending on its concentration, hydrogen peroxide has a bactericide or a bacteriostatic effect on S. aureus [ 15 ]. L. garvieae raises our interest because a specific dairy strain of this LAB, N201 strain, can inhibit S. aureus growth by the production of H 2 O 2 [ 2 , 16 , 17 ].…”