[The antimicrobial properties of thermophilic bacilli]

Lytic activity and antagonistic properties of 11 thermophilic strains in different species of the genus Bacillus have been studied. It is shown that the spectra of lytic and antagonistic effect of the studied thermophiles do not coincide: filtrates of cultural liquids of these strains implement the degradation of living cells of Gram-negative bacteria and yeast but inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria. Both the intensities of lytic and antagonistic actions of the extracellular products of the studied strains of bacilli do not correlate. An analysis of the obtained data shows that the lysis of test cultures takes place as a result of degrading action of extracellular hydrolases of thermophiles but not as a result of activation of autolytic systems of test cultures by the substances of antibiotic nature synthesized by the studied sporeforming bacteria.