Antibacterial activity of penicillin I. The nature of the activity of different acyl derivatives of 6-aminopenicillanic acid

Abstract

The antibacterial activity of a number of different penicillins was compared at concentrations resulting in maximal effect on the bacterial cell as indicated by the rates at which growth was arrested and the rates at which there was loss of viability. The results obtained are consistent with the view that differences in activity between one penicillin and another are due to differences in affinity between the antibiotic and the bacterial cell, rather than to differences in the function of the drug once the antibiotic has reached the site of action.