Relationship between cell wall synthesis in Propionibacterium acnes and ability to stimulate the reticuloendothelial system.

The addition of chloramphenicol or tetracycline to exponentially growing cells of Propionibacterium acnes, which are not normally able to induce splenomegaly until they reach stationary phase, resulted in a rapid development of ability to induce splenomegaly in mice. However, the activity resulting from chloramphenicol treatment was arrested by the addition of penicillin or vancomycin, which showed that the activity was dependent on cell wall synthesis.