Exposure of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium to High Level Biocide Challenge Can Select Multidrug Resistant Mutants
2011

Biocides Can Select for Multidrug Resistant Salmonella

Sample size: 10000 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Rebekah N. Whitehead, Tim W. Overton, Caroline L. Kemp, Mark A. Webber

Primary Institution: University of Birmingham

Hypothesis

Can exposure to biocides select for multidrug resistant mutants of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium?

Conclusion

A single exposure to certain biocides can lead to the selection of multidrug resistant Salmonella mutants.

Supporting Evidence

  • Flow cytometry was used to identify and isolate biocide-resistant mutants.
  • Mutants showed increased efflux activity and reduced susceptibility to multiple antibiotics.
  • Gene expression analysis indicated that the AcrEF efflux pump was de-repressed in the mutants.

Takeaway

When Salmonella bacteria are exposed to certain cleaning chemicals, some can become super strong and resistant to medicines.

Methodology

Salmonella was exposed to different biocides, and flow cytometry was used to analyze the physiological state of the cells.

Limitations

The study did not explore the recovery rate of viable cells from biocide exposure in detail.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0022833

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