Increase of cardiolipin content in Staphylococcus aureus by the use of antibiotics affecting the cell wall

Effect of antibiotics affecting cell wall synthesis on phospholipid composition in Staphylococcus aureus 209P was examined. Each antibiotic was added in the middle exponential growth phase and the growth was followed turbidimetrically. Penicillin, fosfomycin, cycloserine, moenomycin and cefazolin caused a leveling off of turbidity and growth to cease without lysis. Enramycin and bacitracin were bacteriolytic. Bacteriolytic antibiotics caused a greater increase of cardiolipin content than those that were non-bacteriolytic. The amount of phosphatidylglycerol decreased in proportion to the increment of cardiolipin content. Since bacteriolytic antibiotics bind to undecaprenol, the role of cardiolipin was discussed in relation to the mechanism of synthesis of cell surface materials.