Bacterial spore components which enhance the bacteriostatic effectiveness of S-nitrosothiol.

Spore components exuded into the medium during outgrowth of Bacillus cereus T enhanced the bacteriostatic effectiveness of S-nitrosomercaptoethanol, an inhibitor which prevents outgrowth at low concentrations and germination at higher concentrations. The enhancement effect was slight with respect to outgrowth, but dramatic with respect to germination, in that the inhibitory effectiveness of nitrosothiols toward germination inhibition was enhanced by as much as 33-fold when nitrosothiols was in the presence of the exuded spore component. Exudate activity was freely dialyzable and was not measurably affected by a broad-spectrum protease (proteinase K), by autoclaving at 121 degrees C, or by freezing and thawing. Sephadex G-25 chromatography of the exudate indicated that two active species were present, a major component with a molecular weight of less than 1,000 and a minor component with a molecular weight of more than 5,000.