Abstract: | The phenomenon of cyanide-resistant respiration was studied in bacteria as well as its relation to the oversynthesis of metabolites. Cyanide-resistant respiration was shown to be common of aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria. The resistance of respiration to cyanide was observed when the growth of a microbial culture was inhibited or ceased entirely, provided the culture lacked the oversynthesis of metabolites. When a culture was capable of metabolites oversynthesis under such conditions, cyanide-resistant respiration (if any) declined. Therefore, there is a competition between metabolites oversynthesis and cyanide-resistant respiration, which is typical of many microorganisms. |