title: Do Escherichia coli susceptibilities to various antibiotics decrease in the presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids? A preliminary report.
abstract: Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) constitute an ingredient of the daily diet and therefore they might be in close contact with the polymicrobial gastrointestinal flora. In order to study the interaction of bacteria and PUFAs, eight Escherichia coli strains were cultured in the presence of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at a concentration of 100 micrograms/ml, and six of the latter eight at 75 micrograms/ml whereas nine other E. coli strains were cultured in the presence of 50 micrograms/ml gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). DHA provoked > or = 4-fold increases in the minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of various antibiotics in six strains at 100 micrograms/ml and in three strains at 75 micrograms/ml, which were not antibiotic-specific and involved mainly aminoglycosides. GLA provoked in four strains > or = 4-fold increases in MICs-MBCs of ampicillin. The clinical relevance of these observations require further study.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Propedeutic Medicine, Athens University School of Medicine, Laiko, General Hospital, Greece.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Giamarellos-Bourboulis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grecka
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Asteriou
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grammatikou
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Giamarellou
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D017965:gamma-Linolenic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D017965:gamma-Linolenic Acid