ABSTRACT
Bacteriocins (including colicins) are defined as antimicrobial proteins characterized by lethal biosynthesis, a very narrow range of activity, and adsorption to specific cell envelope receptors (1). The established association of bacteriocin biosynthesis with plasmids has been added to this definition, and it has been further modified to include the properties of bacteriocins produced by Gram-positive bacteria (2). To avoid confusion with therapeutic drugs, bacteriocins are not called “antibiotics.” (3). These antimicrobial agents are polypeptide molecules with a narrow specificity of action against strains of the same or closely related species.
