Microbial degradation of erythromycins A and B.

Growing cultures, as well as broken and lyophilized cells of pseudomonas 56 were found to degrade erythromycin A, and lyophilized cells inactivated erythromycins A and B. The enzyme system involved in this degradation was constitutive and the enzyme level in the cells could be increased about 8-fold when oleandomycin or erythromycin B was added to the growth medium. The ability of whole or broken cells to inactivate erythromycin A was completely lost when these preparations were boiled, and the erythromycin A-inactivating activity was localized in the cell membrane fraction. The lyophilized cells did not degrade oleandomycin, methymycin, tylosin, a mixture of leucomycins, josamycin, or maridomycin III.