[Factors causing lysis of an Actinomyces rimosus culture, the producer of the antibiotic, oxytetracycline].

The lysis of Actinomyces rimosus producing oxytetracycline during its mass growth can be caused by two factors which were separated by differential centrifugation. The first factor is phage particles of a temperate phage produced by the culture; they are incapable of growth but may induce the lysis. The phage particles treated with low pH and a temperature of 70 degrees C lose the lytic activity. The second factor is a lytic enzyme produced under the control of the temperate phage during its induction; it seems to consist of at least two enzymes, a lytic enzyme and a proteolytic enzyme.