The Influence of Certain Substances on the Activity of Streptomycin

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Abstract
Effects of various ions on the action of streptomycin on bacterial growth as well as on its ability to ppt. desoxyribonucleic acid were studied quantitatively. Na+, Li+, and K+ have little effect on the ability of streptomycin to inhibit bacterial growth. NH4 as an acetate has no effect on the growth-in-hibiting action of streptomycin while as NH4Cl its action is greater than can be accounted for by the action of Cl- alone. Of the 6 cations studied, Mg++ and Ca++ caused the greatest interference with streptomycin activity. Among anions studied, acetate and pyruvate caused little if any interference while in increasing order the following were active NO3-, Cl-, lactate, phosphate, tartrate, citrate and SO4[long dash]. If both the cation and anion of a given salt show this interference their effects may be additive; e.g., with MgSO4. Various salts also interfere with the precipitation of desoxyribonucleic acid by streptomycin but the order of activity of the salts is different from that in the interference with growth-inhibiting action of streptomycin. This, and also studies with the enzyme desoxyribonu-clease lead to the conclusion that the ability of streptomycin to precipitate desoxyribonucleic acid has little to do with the antibacterial action of this antibiotic.