The Effect of Germicides on the Viability and on the Respiratory Enzyme Activity of Gonococcus

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Abstract
The effect of 8 chemical agents on Neisseria gonorrhoeae has been studied in an attempt to compare loss of viability with the inhibition of 5 respiratory enzymes. Drugs tested were: AgNO3, protargol, neo-silvol, Ag nucleinate, argyrol, merthiolate, KMnO4 and sulfanilamide. The enzymes selected for the inhibition studies were lactic and glyceric dehydrogenases, catalase, peroxidase and indophenol oxi-dase. In general, death of the cells occurred before significant enzyme inhibition took place. A possible exception to this observation was found in the case of KMnO4 and AgNO3, since the minimal conc. causing complete inhibition of glyceric dehydrogenase corresponded closely to the lethal conc. levels of these 2 compounds. Merthiolate, AgNO3, protargol and KMnO4 showed the highest lethal activity while AgNO3, KMnO4 and protargol were the most effective enzyme inhibitors. Sulfanilamide had no apparent effect on the viability of the organisms during the test period but inhibited indophenol oxidase by 55% and lactic dehydrogenase by 26%. The presence of gonococcal catalase did not interfere with the results obtained with peroxidase (pyro-gallol) activity of gonococci. Pyrogallol peroxidase activity for gonococci is heat-labile while benzidine peroxidase activity is heat-stable. A quantitative, colorimetric, indophenol oxidase test is described for use in studies with the gonococcus; the dyestuff obtained from the action of gonococci on the Nadi reagent is extracted with ethyl alcohol-chloroform mixture (1:1) and compared in a colorimeter with a-naphthol blue standards.

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