Effect of phenethyl alcohol on Staphylococcus aureus alpha-lysin production

Phenethyl alcohol, at the maximum concentration which did not inhibit growth (0.3% [vol/vol]), inhibited the production of alpha-lysin and exoproteases but not that of delta-lysin in Staphylococcus aureus Wood 46. The inhibition of alpha-lysin was reversible, and transient accumulation of cell-associated alpha-lysin occurred in the presence of PEA. A precursor of alpha-lysin ca. 3,000 daltons larger than extracellular alpha-lysin was immunologically detected in the sodium dodecyl sulfate extracts of membranes and whole cells of phenethyl alcohol-treated S. aureus cultures. Also, a degraded form of alpha-lysin was detected in membranes prepared from cells lysed by lysostaphin but not in membranes from cells lysed with an X-press.