THE EFFECT OF PROPAMIDINE ON BACTERIAL METABOLISM.

M/80,000 propamidine inhibits the oxidation of the nitrogeneous constituents of the medium in which the bacteria grow. A certain latent period occurs before the inhibition reaches a maximum and the drug is more effective at pH 7.8 than at pH 6.7. As is shown in the accompanying article by Dr. Kohn, this concentration is in the minimal effective range for the inhibition of growth. A latent period and a similar pH effect also are present when growth is inhibited. It is thus possible to conclude that propamidine, unlike sulfanilamide and its derivatives, directly affects the oxidative metabolism of these bacteria.