Lethality of Streptomycin for Alkaline Phosphatase Constitutive Escherichia Coli.

Rosenkranz, Herbert S. (Columbia University, New York, N.Y.) and Howard S. Carr. Lethality of streptomycin for alkaline phosphatase constitutive Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 85:751-753. 1963.-An alkaline phosphatase constitutive strain of Escherichia coli was more sensitive to streptomycin in a phosphorus-rich medium than was the wild parent strain. In a low-phosphorus medium, the efficiency of killing by streptomycin was nearly the same for both strains. The greater sensitivity displayed by the alkaline phosphatase constitutive strain in the phosphorus-rich medium was ascribed to the absence of internal inorganic phosphates in these bacteria. It has been shown that such anions interfere in the reaction of the antibiotic with deoxyribonucleic acid.