This article briefly reviews the history and characteristics of β-Lysin, an antibacterial protein in the blood that remains stable in moderately heated temperatures, and discusses its possible role in the inflammatory reaction. Specifically, it kills most gram-positive bacteria, and it primarily acts at or near cell membranes.
This article was originally published in Microbiology-1975; at the time the author was serving as chairman of BYU’s Microbiology Department.