Effect of aerobic and anaerobic growth on the cell wall ofStaphylococcus aureus

Electron micrographs ofStaphylococcus aureus 7167 which had been grown anaerobically showed that the cell wall was approximately 5 times thicker than the wall of bacteria after aerobic growth. Cell walls prepared from anaerobically grownS. aureus were more sensitive to the bacteriolytic enzymes: lysostaphin, lysozyme, and the wall-associated autolytic enzyme ofB. subtilis 168 I^?. Our findings are interpreted as evidence that the cell wall or surface of anaerobically grownS. aureus 7167 is different from that of aerobically grownS. aureus 7167. The findings suggest that the cell wall peptidoglycan of the anaerobe is a more loosely formed network, resulting in a more rapid solubilization by the bacteriolytic enzymes.