Interrelation between the activity of the lytic enzyme producer Actinomyces recifensis var. lyticus 2435 and its population variability

Spontaneous variability of Actinomyces recifensis var. lyticus 2435 producing a complex of lytic enzymes was studied. A correlation between the strain activity and the content of the variants of the main morphological type in the population was shown. The carbon sources influenced the proportion of different type variants in the population. Strain 2435 was rather stable with respect to the level of the synthesis of yeast-like enzymes and showed a significant variation with respect to the level of the biosynthesis of the bacteriolytic complex. The population variation of strain 2435 with respect to the staphylolytic (synthesis of specific endopeptidases) and muramidase activity was most pronounced. The high activity levels of strain 2435 and wide lytic spectrum were provided by selection of the variants of the first morphological type with respect to the property of high staphylolytic activity.