Studies on marine bacteria producing lytic enzymes-XVII. Lytic enzyme-producing bacteria in marine bottom sediments.

About 5-20% of lytic enzyme-producing bacteria isolated from marine bottom sediments of Japan were able to lyse the living cells of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Bacillus subtilis and marine denitrifying Pseudomonas species. The percentage of the number of spores among sediment bacteriolytic bacteria varied with sediment samples, ranging from 12% to 100%: average about 75%. Sediment bacteria capable of lysing the bacterial cells at 5°C were infrequent in the coastal and pelagic areas of Japan, compared to those capable of lysing the cells at 20-25°C.