Effect of Temperature on the Action of Penicillin In vitro.

Abstract

Summary At elevated temperatures (50-60°C) penicillin (5 units per ml) hastens the death of S. aureus FDA and a strain of S. agalactiœ. At temperatures higher than that leading to maximum growth of the organism, penicillin kills S. aureus FDA faster than it does at the temperature of maximum growth. At the temperatures slightly higher than optimum, there still exists an interrelation between growth and the killing of bacteria by penicillin. It is believed that only at excessively high concentration, or very high temperature, does penicillin kill organisms while they are not undergoing growth.