Lampen, J. Oliver (Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, N.J.), James W. Gill, Peter M. Arnow, and I. Magana-Plaza. Inhibition of the
pleuropneumonia-like organism Mycoplasma gallisepticum by certain polyene
antifungal antibiotics. J. Bacteriol. 86:945-949. 1963.-The growth of Mycoplasma gallisepticum, a
sterol-requiring
pleuropneumonia-like organism (PPLO), was inhibited by certain polyene
antifungal antibiotics at the following concentrations:
filipin, 0.5 mug/ml;
amphotericin B, 3 mug/ml; and
fungichromin, 10 mug/ml. The inhibition of the organism was due to fungicidal action of the
polyenes rather than to decreased availability of the
sterol. The PPLO rapidly bound
nystatin (NY), but was relatively insensitive to this
antifungal agent or to N-acetyl-
candidin (NAC). Even with a comparatively small inoculum, 100 mug of NY per ml or 50 mug of NAC per ml, were required to inhibit growth. In contrast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, growing under similar conditions, was completely inhibited by 3 mug of NY or NAC per ml.
Filipin, however, was effective against both organisms, inhibiting PPLO and yeast at 0.5 mug/ml and 3 mug/ml, respectively. The relative insensitivity of PPLO to NY was not the result of protection by the
sterol present in the growth medium. These organisms, incubated for 2 hr in
sterol-free
buffer in the presence of 20 mug of NY per ml showed little, if any, inhibition of growth when transferred to growth medium. Under the same conditions, more than 99% of a yeast
suspension was killed. It is suggested that the PPLO are primarily sensitive to the disruptive action on the cell membrane which is characteristic of the smaller
polyenes (34 to 37
carbon atoms).