Resistance of Pseudomonas to Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: II. Cross-Resistance Characteristics of a Mutant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Tube dilution experiments showed that benzalkonium chloride (BC)-resistant mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa grown in the presence of 1,000 mug of BC per ml were at least 20 times more sensitive to polymyxin B and colistin sulfate than the BC-sensitive (BCS) parent strain. BCS cells selected for resistance to 500 mug of polymyxin B per ml remained sensitive to BC. There was little difference in the amount of carbenicillin, gentamicin sulfate, or rifampin needed to prevent growth of either the BCS or BC-resistant (BCR) strains. Growth of BCR cells was inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetate at a concentration of 400 mug/ml or less, whereas the BCS strain grew at ethylenediaminetetraacetate levels of 10,000 mug/ml. Phenylmercuric acetate and thimerosal inhibited growth of BCR and BCS cells at concentrations of 10 mug/ml or less. BCR cells were cross-resistant to >1,000 mug/ml concentrations of five other quaternary ammonium compounds, including three with C(16) alkyls and two with alkyl groups of shorter length. The BCS strain was also resistant to >1,000 mug/ml concentrations of the three quaternary ammonium compounds with C(16) alkyl groups but, in addition to BC, was inhibited by 200 mug/ml levels or less of the two quaternary ammonium compounds containing alkyl groups of less than 16 carbon atoms.     

Co-Culture with Listeria monocytogenes within a Dual-Species Biofilm Community Strongly Increases Resistance of Pseudomonas putida to Benzalkonium Chloride

Biofilm formation is a phenomenon occurring almost wherever microorganisms and surfaces exist in close proximity. This study aimed to evaluate the possible influence of bacterial interactions on the ability of Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas putida to develop a dual-species biofilm community on stainless steel (SS), as well as on the subsequent resistance of their sessile cells to benzalkonium chloride (BC) used in inadequate (sub-lethal) concentration (50 ppm). The possible progressive adaptability of mixed-culture biofilms to BC was also investigated. To accomplish these, 3 strains per species were left to develop mixed-culture biofilms on SS coupons, incubated in daily renewable growth medium for a total period of 10 days, under either mono- or dual-species conditions. Each day, biofilm cells were exposed to disinfection treatment. Results revealed that the simultaneous presence of L. monocytogenes strongly increased the resistance of P. putida biofilm cells to BC, while culture conditions (mono-/dual-species) did not seem to significantly influence the resistance of L. monocytogenes biofilm cells. BC mainly killed L. monocytogenes cells when this was applied against the dual-species sessile community during the whole incubation period, despite the fact that from the 2nd day this community was mainly composed (>90%) of P. putida cells. No obvious adaptation to BC was observed in either L. monocytogenes or P. putida biofilm cells. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis showed that the different strains behaved differently with regard to biofilm formation and antimicrobial resistance. Such knowledge on the physiological behavior of mixed-culture biofilms could provide the information necessary to control their formation.     

Adaptation of Aquatic Microbial Communities to Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

The effects of long-chain (C₁₂ to C₁₈) quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) on the density, heterotrophic activity, and biodegradation capabilities of heterotrophic bacteria were examined in situ in a lake ecosystem. Monoalkyl and dialkyl substituted QACs were tested over a range of concentrations (0.001 to 10 mg/liter) in both acute (3 h) and chronic (21 day) exposures. In general, none of the QACs tested had significant adverse effects on bacterial densities in either acute or chronic studies. However, significant decreases in bacterial heterotrophic activity were noted in acute studies at QAC concentrations from 0.1 to 10 mg/liter. Chronic exposure of lake microbial communities to a specific monoalkyl QAC resulted in an adaptive response and recovery of heterotrophic activity. No-observable-effect level in the adapted populations was >10 mg/liter. Chronic exposure also resulted in significant increases in the number and activity of bacteria capable of biodegrading the material. The increase in biodegradation capability was observed at low (microgram per liter) concentrations which are approximately the same as realistic environmental levels. In general, our studies indicated that exposure of lake microbial communities to QACs results in the development of adapted communities which are less sensitive to potential toxic effects and more active in the biodegradation of these materials.     

Adaptation of Pseudomonas sp. Strain 7-6 to Quaternary Ammonium Compounds and Their Degradation via Dual Pathways

Pseudomonas sp. strain 7-6, isolated from active sludge obtained from a wastewater facility, utilized a quaternary ammonium surfactant, n-dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC), as its sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source. When initially grown in the presence of 10 mM DTAC medium, the isolate was unable to degrade DTAC. The strain was cultivated in gradually increasing concentrations of the surfactant until continuous exposure led to high tolerance and biodegradation of the compound. Based on the identification of five metabolites by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, two possible pathways for DTAC metabolism were proposed. In pathway 1, DTAC is converted to lauric acid via n-dodecanal with the release of trimethylamine; in pathway 2, DTAC is converted to lauric acid via n-dodecyldimethylamine and then n-dodecanal with the release of dimethylamine. Among the identified metabolites, the strain precultivated on DTAC medium could utilize n-dodecanal and lauric acid as sole carbon sources and trimethylamine and dimethylamine as sole nitrogen sources, but it could not efficiently utilize n-dodecyldimethylamine. These results indicated pathway 1 is the main pathway for the degradation of DTAC.     

Mutant Luciferase Enzymes from Fireflies with Increased Resistance to Benzalkonium Chloride

Benzalkonium chloride (BAC), used to extract intracellular ATP, interferes with subsequent firefly luciferase-luciferin assays. There was a significant difference among wild-type luciferases with respect to BAC resistance. Luciola lateralis luciferase (LlL) was the most tolerant, followed by Luciola cruciata luciferase (LcL) and Photinus pyralis luciferase. Random mutagenesis of thermostable mutants of LcL showed that the Glu490Lys mutation contributes to improved resistance to BAC. The corresponding Glu490Lys mutation was introduced into thermostable mutants of LlL by site-directed mutagenesis. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that the resultant LlL-217L490K mutant, having both an Ala217Leu and a Glu490Lys mutation, showed the highest resistance to BAC, with an initial remaining bioluminescence intensity of 87.4% and a decay rate per minute of 29.6% in the presence of 0.1% BAC. The Glu490Lys mutation was responsible for increased resistance to inactivation but not inhibition by BAC. The LlL-217L490K had identical thermostability and pH stability to the parental thermostable mutant. From these results, it was concluded that the LlL-217L490K enzyme is advantageous for hygiene monitoring and biomass assays based on the ATP-bioluminescence methodology. This is the first report demonstrating improved resistance to BAC of the firefly luciferase enzyme.     

Postadaptational Resistance to Benzalkonium Chloride and Subsequent Physicochemical Modifications of Listeria monocytogenes

Many studies have demonstrated that bacteria, including Listeria monocytogenes, are capable of adapting to disinfectants used in industrial settings after prolonged exposure to sublethal concentrations. However, the consequent alterations of the cell surface due to sanitizer adaptation of this pathogen are not fully understood. Two resistant and four sensitive L. monocytogenes strains from different sources were progressively subcultured with increasing sublethal concentrations of a surfactant, benzalkonium chloride (BC). To evaluate the effects of acquired tolerance to BC, parent and adapted strains were compared by using several morphological and physiological tests. Sensitive strains showed at least a fivefold increase in the MIC, while the MIC doubled for resistant strains after the adaptation period. The hydrophobicities of cells of parent and adapted strains were similar. Serological testing indicated that antigen types 1 and 4 were both present on the cell surface of adapted cells. The data suggest that efflux pumps are the major mechanism of adaptation in sensitive strains and are less important in originally resistant isolates. A different, unknown mechanism was responsible for the original tolerance of resistant isolates. In an originally resistant strain, there was a slight shift in the fatty acid profile after adaptation, whereas sensitive strains had similar profiles. Electron micrographs revealed morphological differences after adaptation. The changes in cell surface antigens, efflux pump utilization, and fatty acid profiles suggest that different mechanisms are used by resistant and sensitive strains for adaptation to BC.     

Resistance to Mercuric Chloride in Pseudomonas K-62

Mercuric ion-resistant mechanism in Pseudomonas K-62 was investigated by isolating a mercuric ion-sensitive mutant strain (H-2 strain) from a resistant wild-type strain (P strain) and comparing the physiological properties of these two strains. Growth curves obtained in mercuric ion-containing medium suggested that P strain constitutively has a resistant mechanism. The capacity of P and H-2 strains to decrease the concentration of mercuric ions in the medium was found to be almost equal; thus, the presence of a resistant mechanism was expected other than MMR-enzyme, which is an inducible system. From the characteristic property of the inhibitory effect of mercuric ions on respiration of the two strains, a resistant mechanism, a permeability barrier mechanism, was proposed. The barrier mechanism in P strain traps mercuric ions with high selectivity to prevent the penetration of ions to the intracellular space where the functional units are located. Finally, the resistance mechanism to mercuric ions in the bacterium was discussed including the MMR-enzyme system and the barrier mechanism.     

Role of Efflux Pumps in Adaptation and Resistance of Listeria monocytogenes to Benzalkonium Chloride

In this study, potential mechanisms underlying resistance and adaptation to benzalkonium chloride (BC) in Listeria monocytogenes were investigated. Two groups of strains were studied. The first group consisted of strains naturally sensitive to BC which could be adapted to BC. The second group consisted of naturally resistant strains. For all adapted isolates, there was a correlation between the resistance to BC and ethidium bromide, but this was not the case for the naturally resistant isolates. To investigate the role of efflux pumps in adaptation or resistance, reserpine, an efflux pump inhibitor, was added to the strains. Addition of reserpine to the sensitive and adapted strains resulted in a decrease in the MIC for BC, whereas no such decrease was observed for the resistant strains, indicating that efflux pumps played no role in the innate resistance of certain strains of L. monocytogenes to this compound. Two efflux pumps (MdrL and Lde) have been described in L. monocytogenes. Studies showed low and intermediate levels of expression of the genes encoding the efflux pumps for two selected resistant strains, H7764 and H7962, respectively. Adaptation to BC of sensitive isolates of L. monocytogenes resulted in significant increases in expression of mdrl (P < 0.05), but no such increase was observed for lde for two adapted strains of L. monocytogenes, LJH 381 (P = 0.91) and C719 (P = 0.11). This indicates that the efflux pump Mdrl is at least partly responsible for the adaptation to BC.     

Surface-Bonded Antimicrobial Activity of an Organosilicon Quaternary Ammonium Chloride

The hydrolysis product of 3-(trimethoxysilyl)-propyldimethyloctadecyl ammonium chloride exhibited antimicrobial activity against a broad range of microorganisms while chemically bonded to a variety of surfaces. The chemical was not removed from surfaces by repeated washing with water, and its antimicrobial activity could not be attributed to a slow release of the chemical, but rather to the surface-bonded chemical.     

Algicidal Activity of a Surface-Bonded Organosilicon Quaternary Ammonium Chloride

The hydrolysis product of a quaternary amine-containing organosilicon salt, 3-(trimethoxysilyl)-propyldimethyloctadecyl ammonium chloride, was found to exhibit algicidal activity while chemically bonded to a variety of substrates. Six representative species of Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta, and Chrysophyta were used to evaluate the algicidal activity. Substrate-bonded (14)C-labeled organosilicon quaternary ammonium salt when attached to nonwoven fibers was durable to repeated washings, and algicidal activity could not be attributed to slow release of the chemical.     

Coselection of Cadmium and Benzalkonium Chloride Resistance in Conjugative Transfers from Nonpathogenic Listeria spp. to Other Listeriae

Resistance to the quaternary ammonium disinfectant benzalkonium chloride (BC) may be an important contributor to the ability of Listeria spp. to persist in the processing plant environment. Although a plasmid-borne disinfectant resistance cassette (bcrABC) has been identified in Listeria monocytogenes, horizontal transfer of these genes has not been characterized. Nonpathogenic Listeria spp. such as L. innocua and L. welshimeri are more common than L. monocytogenes in food processing environments and may contribute to the dissemination of disinfectant resistance genes in listeriae, including L. monocytogenes. In this study, we investigated conjugative transfer of resistance to BC and to cadmium from nonpathogenic Listeria spp. to other nonpathogenic listeriae, as well as to L. monocytogenes. BC-resistant L. welshimeri and L. innocua harboring bcrABC, along with the cadmium resistance determinant cadA2, were able to transfer resistance to other nonpathogenic listeriae as well as to L. monocytogenes of diverse serotypes, including strains from the 2011 cantaloupe outbreak. Transfer among nonpathogenic Listeria spp. was noticeably higher at 25°C than at 37°C, whereas acquisition of resistance by L. monocytogenes was equally efficient at 25 and 37°C. When the nonpathogenic donors were resistant to both BC and cadmium, acquisition of cadmium resistance was an effective surrogate for transfer of resistance to BC, suggesting coselection between these resistance attributes. The results suggest that nonpathogenic Listeria spp. may behave as reservoirs for disinfectant and heavy metal resistance genes for other listeriae, including the pathogenic species L. monocytogenes.     

Site of Action of Certain Antibacterial Heterocyclic Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

The site of action of related mono- and bis-quinaldinium compounds was investigated in Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus megaterium. The effects of these compounds on cell morphology and on protoplast formation and fragility were studied, and the distribution of C(14)-labeled quinaldinium compound in cell fractions was measured. The latter studies showed that a major part of the quaternary compound penetrates the cell, leaving a very small quantity associated with the cell wall. Similar antibacterial effects were seen with both the mono- and bis-quinaldinium compounds studied, and these effects were comparable with antibacterial properties of known cationic surface-active antibacterial agents.     

Semiautomated Microbiological Method for the Assay of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

A semiautomated method has been developed for quantitatively assaying the activity of detergent disinfectants. Automation permitted a high level of reproducibility, which in turn allowed a meaningful comparison between the activities of some types of quaternary ammonium compounds.     

生牛奶中分离大肠杆菌对季铵盐类消毒剂耐药性研究

目的为调查牛奶中大肠杆菌Escherichia coli的污染状况和对常见季铵盐类消毒剂的耐药情况,为大型养殖场季铵盐类消毒剂的合理使用提供指导。方法对从74份生牛奶样品中分离的45株大肠杆菌采用琼脂稀释法测定4种季铵盐类消毒剂[十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)、苯扎氯铵(BC)、双十烷基二甲基氯化铵(DDAC)、氯代十六烷基吡啶(CPC)]的最小抑菌浓度(MIC),采用PCR法检测10种消毒剂耐药基因,并分析其MIC值与耐药基因之间的相关性。结果大肠杆菌对4种消毒剂表现出不同程度的抗性,所检测的4种消毒剂对大肠杆菌的MIC值均大于标准菌株,且比例为BC=DDACCTABCPC。大肠杆菌季铵盐类消毒剂的耐药基因检出率为ydgF(84.44%)ydgE(80.00%)sugE(c)(66.67%)emrE(40.00%)mdfA(37.78%)qacEΔ1(33.33%)qacE(17.78%)qacF(13.33%)qacG(11.11%)sugE(p)(4.44%)。分析大肠杆菌消毒剂基因检出情况与MIC值之间的关系发现,qacF基因的检出率与128 mg·L~(-1)的CPC之间差异有统计学意义。结论由此可见,牛奶中存在大肠杆菌污染严重的现象对季铵盐类消毒剂耐药情况不容乐观,需进一步规范季铵盐类消毒剂的使用。     

Changes in Escherichia coli Associated with Acquired Tolerance for Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

Acquired tolerance for a quaternary ammonium compound produced a tolerance for a similar compound. Tolerance was associated with the structure and the extent of adsorption of the compound. Morphological changes and resistance to disruption by pressure and by sonic treatment accompanied the development of tolerance. An otherwise weakened culture evolved with the acquisition of tolerance. The maximum obtainable viable population density of tolerant cells in growth medium was approximately 5% of that obtained in the parent culture. Tolerant cultures died off more rapidly in the original growth medium as well as when washed cell suspensions were stored at 5 C. Since acquired tolerance was associated with an otherwise weakened culture, the occurrence of the tolerant cells to limit the efficacy of quaternary ammonium compounds in sanitation operations is highly unlikely.     

Heavy-Metal and Benzalkonium Chloride Resistance of Listeria monocytogenes Isolates from the Environment of Turkey-Processing Plants

The resistance of Listeria monocytogenes to cadmium and arsenic has been used extensively for strain subtyping. However, limited information is available on the prevalence of such resistance among isolates from the environment of food-processing plants. In addition, it is not known whether the resistance of such isolates to heavy metals may correlate with resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds extensively used as disinfectants in the food-processing industry. In this study, we characterized 192 L. monocytogenes isolates (123 putative strains) from the environment of turkey-processing plants in the United States for resistance to cadmium and arsenic and to the quaternary ammonium disinfectant benzalkonium chloride (BC). Resistance to cadmium was significantly more prevalent among strains of serotypes 1/2a (or 3a) and 1/2b (or 3b) (83% and 74%, respectively) than among strains of the serotype 4b complex (19%). Resistance to BC was encountered among 60% and 51% of the serotype 1/2a (or 3a) and 1/2b (or 3b) strains, respectively, and among 7% of the strains of the serotype 4b complex. All BC-resistant strains were also resistant to cadmium, although the reverse was not always the case. In contrast, no correlation was found between BC resistance and resistance to arsenic, which overall was low (6%). Our findings suggest that the processing environment of turkey-processing plants may constitute a reservoir for L. monocytogenes harboring resistance to cadmium and to BC and raise the possibility of common genetic elements or mechanisms mediating resistance to quaternary ammonium disinfectants and to cadmium in L. monocytogenes.     

Mixtures of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds and Long-chain Fatty Acids as Antifungal Agents

The influence of undecylenic acid on the fungistatic effect of phenoxyethyldimethyldodecylammonium bromide (Domiphen bromide) against Trichophyton mentagrophytes was investigated. The unsaturated fatty acid was found to enhance the fungistatic activity of Domiphen bromide against this organism. The ratio of concentrations of these agents has a marked influence on the results of in vitro tests for antifungal action resulting in a completely different effect than heretofore noted in combination experiments against bacteria. The enhancing phenomenon is not particular to T. mentagrophytes, it was observed also with Candida albicans.