Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of a blend of monoglycerides against Escherichia coli and Enterococci with multiple drug resistance

• DOI: 10.1007/s00203-017-1419-5
• Publication Date: 2017-08-10T04:00:58Z
• Authors: Immacolata Anacarso; Andrea Quartieri; Riccardo De Leo; Andrea Pulvirenti
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Antibacterial; E. coli; Enterococci; Monoglycerides; Multidrug resistance; Microbiology; Biochemistry; Molecular Biology; Genetics; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Anti-Bacterial Agents; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Humans; Monoglycerides; Enterococcus; Escherichia coli Infections

Bacterial antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon, seriously affecting the treatment of infections. The biggest danger is that current antibiotics are not able to eradicate the resistant strains. In recent years, alternative antibacterial substances are being sought, which can help in these cases. Fatty acids and monoglycerides are known among the natural substances for their antimicrobial properties and, important detail, bacteria do not develop resistance to them. In this work, we studied the antimicrobial effects of a monoglyceride blend against some multi-resistant Enterococci and Escherichia coli strains. Based on literature data, a blend of fatty acids and their monoglycerides was created and its antimicrobial activity was evaluated against 37 strains of E. coli and 17 Enterococci presenting resistance to at least two antibiotics. A different behavior was observed in the two groups of bacteria, proving that alternative substances can be considerate for the potential treatment of multidrug-resistant strains.