Intermediary Metabolism of Antibiotic Resistant and Antibiotic Sensitive Staphylococci. I. Pyruvate, Glucose and Acetate.

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Abstract
Strains of Micrococcus pyogenes var. aureus (Staphylococcus aureus) sensitive to antibiotics (ATCC 9996) and naturally resistant to multiple antibiotics (Stickle) oxidize glucose to the same extent as whole cells, not as lysed cell preparations. Whole sensitive cells oxidize pyruvate whereas resistant cells do not. Lysed resistant cells oxidize pyruvate. Neither cocarboxylase, Mg++, nor a combination of these activate pyruvate oxidation by whole resistant cells. Pyruvate oxidation by lysed resistant cells is stimulated by Mg++, and further stimulated by Mg++ and cocarboxylase together, but not by cocarboxylase alone. Acetate, malate and acetaldehyde are not oxidized in any system used. Mg++ appears to be unavailable for pyruvate oxidation in whole resistant cells either because it is not assimilated or is bound as it is assimilated. Pyruvate dissimilation apparently is a major point of antibiotic attack; multiple pathways are probably available for pyruvate dismutation.