The nutrition of Staphylococcus aureus. The activities of nicotinamide, aneurin (vitamin B1) and related compounds

Abstract

Aneurin (synthetic vitamin B1) plus nicotinic acid (or its amide) completely replaces the staphylococcus growth factor, using a basal medium of amino acids and glucose. 12 typical strains of S. aureus were thus grown aerobically in a medium containing only known chemical components. For routine growth purposes 10-5 [image] nicotinic acid (or amide) plus 10-7 [image] aneurin provides ample amounts of these substances; a visible effect is detectable with 10-8 M nicotinamide, and 10-10 [image] aneurin. Instead of the aneurin component of the growth factor complex, the organism can use a pyrimidine plus a thiazole, provided both are substituted as in aneurin itself, e.g., 4-amino-5-aminomethyl-2-methylpyrimidine + 4-methyl-5-[beta]-hydroxyethylthiazole. But differently substituted compounds are inactive in such pairs. Thus 4-hydroxy-5-aminomethyl-2-methylpyrimidine or 4-methyl-thiazole cannot replace the pyrimidine or thiazole components, respectively, in such a pair. A high degree of specificity of aneurin, or the directly related equivalent chemical components of it in the growth requirements of S. aureus, is indicated. The results have a bearing on the routes of aneurin synthesis in nature.