FURTHER EVIDENCE FOR INDUCIBILITY OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL PENICILLINASE

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Abstract
The activity of penicillinase in suspensions of Staphylococcus aureus (strain 55-C-l) was increased 29 fold by exposure of the organisms to penicillin. The activity of sonically disrupted staphylococci was comparable to that of suspensions of intact cells both with penicillin-treated and with control staphylococci. The findings gave no evidence of a permeability barrier between penicillin and penicillinase in these organisms. The results of these experiments are consistent with the interpretation that the observed increase in penicillinase activity is the result of inducible biosynthesis of the enzyme.