Antimicrobial properties of human lysozyme transgenic mouse milk.
The antimicrobial properties of standard human lysozyme and the milk of transgenic mice expressing human lysozyme were investigated using bacterial strains important to the dairy industry. Standard human lysozyme was found to be effective at significantly slowing the growth of the milk cold-spoilage organism Pseudomonas fragi (P < 0.001), of a clinical isolate of the mastitis-causing organism Staphylococcus aureus (P < 0.005), and a nonpathogenic strain of E. coli (P < 0.05). Milk from transgenic mice secreting human lysozyme in their milk at an average concentration of 0.3 mg/ml was found to be bacteriostatic against the cold-spoilage organisms Pseudomonas fragi and Lactobacillus viscous and a mastitis-causing strain of Staphylococcus aureus, but not against a pathogenic strain of E. coli. These results demonstrate that transgenic animals producing human lysozyme in their milk can affect the microbial nature of milk.
Department of Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California--Davis 95616, USA.
E A
EA
Maga
G B
GB
Anderson
J S
JS
Cullor
W
W
Smith
J D
JD
Murray
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008892:Milk / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000382:microbiology; D009113:Muramidase / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000187:drug effects; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D009113:Muramidase