The Amount of Enzyme Inactivation at Bacteriostatic and Bactericidal Concentrations of Disinfectants

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Abstract
Escherichia coli grown in a mineral soln. plus ammonium salts and acetate obtains its energy only by oxidase, acetate dehydrogenase and in-directly by catalase. The effect of various disinfectants in bacteriostatic and bactericidal concs. upon these enzymes was measured. Concs. which retard growth had no effect, or very little effect, on these enzymes. Cones, which in-hibited growth completely did not always inactivate or even retard the enzymes. Concs. which killed inactivated the enzymes. Recovery by antidotes of the poisoned oxidase was not possible when the dose had been lethal. With sub-lethal doses of phenol, oxidase could be reactivated by simple dilution with water. Expts. with concs. between the bac-teriostatic and bactericidal dose of HgCl2 showed that the enzyme mechanism is nearly as sensitive as the multiplication mechanism. Bacteriostasis is not usually due to enzyme inactivation. The cause of irreversible death remains undecided, as it is not possible to state whether enzyme inactivation is the cause or the result of death.