1887

Abstract

Although a number of studies have shown that various free fatty acids (FFAs) and monoacylglycerides (MGs) have bactericidal properties , the role of these compounds has not been determined. This study evaluated the antibacterial properties of medium-chain MGs and FFAs for different bacterial enteropathogens with an in-vitro bacterial killing assay and an in-vivo model of intestinal colonisation. Incubation of test bacteria with medium-chain MGs for 4 h led to 100–10 000-fold reductions in numbers of viable cells of and enterotoxigenic (ETEC). Lauric acid was the only medium-chain FFA to show comparable in-vitro bactericidal activity. The ability of dietary MGs to reduce or eliminate bacterial colonisation of the intestinal tract was evaluated in mice that were predisposed to bacterial colonisation by treatment with streptomycin (STR). Mice were treated with streptomycin, challenged intragastrically with or ETEC, and given monocaprin (C10:0 MG) either concurrently or as part of the daily diet. Control mice given STR without MGs and challenged with or ETEC showed high numbers of challenged bacteria in gastrointestinal contents by 1 h after administration. Concurrent administration of and C10:0 MG (2.5 mg/ml) caused > 1000-fold reduction in numbers of recovered from the gastrointestinal tracts of STR mice. Concurrent administration of C10:0 MG with ETEC did not cause a reduction in the number of viable ETEC present in the intestinal tract of STR mice. Administration of C10:0 MG in the diet had no effect on the number of viable or ETEC associated with caecal or ileal tissue of STR mice when C10:0 MG in the diet was started 1 day before, the same day, or 2 days after bacterial challenge. Collectively, these results suggested that dietary MGs may prevent intestinal colonisation by bacterial enteropathogens if administered at the time of exposure, but have little effect on established intestinal infections.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-47-5-383
1998-05-01
2024-03-28
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/jmm/47/5/medmicro-47-5-383.html?itemId=/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-47-5-383&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-47-5-383
Loading
/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-47-5-383
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error