Citrinin as an Antibiotic

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Abstract
One drop of a 24-hr, bacterial culture was added to 1 ml. of broth medium with different amts. of citrinin. The mixture was incubated for 16 hrs. Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible to citrinin than Gram-negative ones. Bacteria could be sensitized by citrinin so that their resistance was markedly reduced by continuous subcultivations in media with submini-mal concs. of citrinin. Untreated Staphylococcus aureus required 0.4 mg./ml. of citrinin for complete inhibition, but after 10 treatments with citrinin it required only 0.05 mg., the time interval between 2 treatments being 24 hrs. Citrin-in-treated staphylococci were more susceptible to sulfadiazine. Human serum had no significant effect on the action of citrinin on Staphylococcus, Eberthella typhosa, and Bacillus mycoides. Cysteine had no antagonism to citrinin. Na thiosulfate and [rho]-aminobenzoic acid had no antagonistic action. In toxicity tests the intraperit. LD of citrinin for the rat was 17 mg./kg., and 5 mg. for the rabbit. Repeated injns. in increasing doses increased the tolerance. Local application of citrinin in therapeutic tests on rabbits and man gave encouraging results. In wounds with extensive pus formation, citrinin-treated rabbits responded excellently. Citrinin was used in 3 cases of local infection, all of which showed dramatic results. Two were staphylococcal and 1 a strepto-coccal infection.
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