The Action of Urea and Some of Its Derivatives on Bacteria

Abstract

Summary and Discussion Butyl, and isobutyl carbamate have been shown to be bacteriostatic for a number of gram-negative and two gram-positive bacteria. The degree of this antibacterial effect was greater than that observed with other urea derivatives (2–8). Investigations of the bactericidal power of the butyl compound revealed that the lethal effect of this drug was more marked than was that of the other substances studied. These data confirm the impression that increasing the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain replacing one = NH2 group in urea results in an augmentation in antibacterial activity. The increase in bacteriostatic effect following the addition of sulfanilamide that had been noted with the other urea compounds was also observed with butyl carbamate. Para-aminobenzoic acid was found to be inactivated by butyl carbamate over a narrow range and for a very short period of time with low concentrations of the drug, and for longer intervals and over a wider range with larger quantities. This effect was in the same order of magnitude as that observed with the other urea derivatives except that a lower concentration of the butyl compound was required. The phenomenon of heightened anti-para-aminobenzoic acid activity resulting from addition of methyl groups to urea was confirmed with butyl carbamate.