| Abstract: | The effect of subbacteriostatic concentrations of ampicillin on morphological and mechanical properties of gramnegative and grampositive cells of Escherichia coli K12 TG1 and Bacillus cereus IP 5832 respectively was studied with atomic force microscopy. Significant heterogeneity of the bacterial populations was shown by the character of the response to the antibiotic effect. The common feature was increase of the cell size likely due to the effect of the inner osmotic pressure on the lowered cell wall strength. In the E. coli population there were besides observed anomalous elongated cells with signs of septation disorder, as well as their structurs, lacking the cytoplasmic liquid fraction. In the B. cereus the inner osmotic pressure mainly enlarged the cell cross section, changing the cell shape from rod to sphere, that was accompanied by significant impairment of the surface structure with liberation of the peptidoglycane fragments to the medium. The particular features of the E. coli K12 TG1 and B. cereus IP 5832 respond to the ampicillin effect were attributed to the differences in the structure of their cell wall, also due to specific properties of the peptidoglycane synthesis and three-dimensional organization. |
