TITLE:
Thiol-Mediated Reduction of Staphylococcus aureus Tellurite Resistance
AUTHORS:
Benoit Pugin, Fabián A. Cornejo, Jaime A. García, Waldo A. Díaz-Vásquez, Felipe A. Arenas, Claudio C. Vásquez
KEYWORDS:
Tellurite; 2-Mercaptoethanol; Tellurite Toxicity; Staphylococcus aureus
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.4 No.4,
March
13,
2014
ABSTRACT:
The goal of this work was to enhance tellurite
toxicity against Gram positive bacteria, especially Staphyloccocus aureus. Using a combination of assays (growth
inhibition zones, growth curves, and minimal inhibitory concentrations),
tellurite toxicity against this bacterium was tested in the presence of various SH- and OH-containing compounds. Results showed
that the noxiousness of tellurite was strongly enhanced in the presence of
2-mercaptoethanol or dithiothreitol. The potentiating effect was observed in S. aureus ATCC 6538 (the model organism
of this study) and in other Gram positive bacteria such as Bacillus subtillis ATCC 6051 and the methicillin-resistant S. aureus strain 622-4. No enhancing effect was observed in Gram negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli BW25113, Salmonella Typhimurium LT2 and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 11388. These
results open new perspectives for studying the treatment of multidrug-resistant
Gram positive bacteria, which are responsible for numerous nosocomial infections.