Effect on growth curve patterns of brief exposure of bacteria to different concentrations of beta-lactam antibiotics

The effect of a brief beta-lactam action on a bacterial culture has been studied by combining the use of a high performance photometer with phase contrast microscopic examination. After exposure of the culture with the antibiotic, the growth curves presented in logn OD have shown the importance of the pre-lytic increase in OD (PIOD). Using Escherichia coli a study of the PIOD values allowed us to separate the beta-lactam antibiotics studied into two groups: those whose PIOD were concentration-dependent (ampicillin, carbenicillin, ticarcillin, moxalactam, ceftazidime, cefsulodin, cefotaxime) and those whose PIOD were concentration-independent (or weakly dependent) (azlocillin, mezlocillin, piperacillin). When the PIOD was independent of the concentrations, long filaments were observed by phase contrast microscopy. Using Pseudomonas aeruginosa, all the antibiotics studied produced PIOD values that were barely dependent of the concentrations, and long filaments were observed by phase contrast microscopy. Study of the lag of regrowth in the post antibiotic period using a beta-lactamase technique showed that, if the PIOD was hardly concentration dependent, so was the lag of regrowth.