Effect of peptide antibacterial factor and changes in Staphylococcus susceptibility to antibiotics]

The susceptibility to antibiotics of the Staphylococcus epidermidis cells in the presence of low-molecular weight peptide factor was investigated. The factor was isolated from the Styaphylococcus warneri culture media. The factor enhanced the S. epidermidis susceptibility to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, lincomycin, rifampicin, tetracycline, cefalexine, erythromycin and fusidine. The same effect was demonstrated for the cells of S. epidermidis resistant to cadmium ions along with resistance to several antibiotics. However the cells reaction in this case was expressed to a lower extent. It was suggested that revealed alterations in staphylococci susceptibility to antibiotics was due to the peptide factor effect on cytoplasmic membrane permeability that resulted in nonspecific increase in accumulation of various compounds with low-molecular weight.