title: Physiological effects of metronidazole on Clostridium pasteurianum.
abstract: The physiological effects of metronidazole on the growth, viability, fermentation end-product production and cellular morphology of Clostridium pasteurianum cells growing logarithmically were studied. Metronidazole (a 5-nitroimidazole) was found to be the most potent of the nitroimidazole compounds tested against C. pasteurianum. It inhibited the growth rate of C. pasteurianum cultures by varying degrees over a range of drug concentrations (2.5-10 mg/L). Metronidazole had an immediate bactericidal effect at a concentration of 10 mg/L, killing 99.9% of cells within 5 min of drug addition. The same concentration caused an immediate cessation of fermentation end-product (acetate and butyrate) production in these cultures. These observations may be relevant to a proposed cell lysing mechanism which may form an additional mode of action of this important antibiotic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Church
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Rabin
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Laishley
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D002087:Butyrates / Q000378:metabolism; D020148:Butyric Acid; D003013:Clostridium / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002087:Butyrates; D003470:Culture Media; D005227:Fatty Acids; D020148:Butyric Acid; D008795:Metronidazole