title: Comparison of the activity spectra against pathogens of bacterial strains producing a mutacin or a lantibiotic.
abstract: The increase of drug resistance among bacterial pathogens is currently a major threat in hospital settings. New and more efficient antibiotic compounds have to be developed to fight infectious diseases. In the present work, a deferred antagonism test was used to determine the activity of different bacterial strains producing either a mutacin or a lantibiotic against bacterial pathogens. The mutacins A, B, C, D, I, K, L, M, and nisins A and Z were active against all enterococci tested. Mutacins A and B, and nisins A and Z inhibited all the staphylococci tested. Except for the strains producing mutacins P, Q, and X, all the other producing strains inhibited the streptococci tested. Mutacins A, B, I, J, T, nisins A and Z, and epidermin inhibited the two antibiotic-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae tested. Mutacins A, B, C, D, and nisins A and Z inhibited Campylobacter jejuni and Helicobacter pylori. Thus, the wide activity spectra of nisin A and Z are confirmed. These results also indicate that many of the mutacins, especially those of groups A, B, C, D, I, J, K, L, M, and T, could be candidates for further development as useful antibiotics.
authors.affiliation: Département de Biochimie et de Microbiologie, Faculté de Science et Génie, Université Laval, Cité Universitaire, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Morency
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mota-Meira
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: LaPointe
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lacroix
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lavoie
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009561:Nisin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001430:Bacteriocins; D009561:Nisin; C102526:nisin A