title: Effect of chelating agents on the susceptibility of some strains of gram-negative bacteria to some antibacterial agents.
abstract: The effects of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and related chelating agents on the susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other strains of gram-negative bacteria to some beta-lactam antibiotics and some non-antibiotic antibacterial agents have been studied by two methods: (i) the determination of minimal inhibitory concentrations in the presence and absence of a chelating agent; and (ii) pretreatment with a chelating agent, followed by exposure for up to 120 min at 37 C to a beta-lactam drug in a nutrient medium or to the other type of antibacterial agent in a non-nutrient environment. The pretreatment technique gave the more significant results, especially with chlorhexidine, cetrimide, and benzalkonium chloride. Chelating agents that had previously been found to give a low order of activity as measured by effects on bacterial viability nevertheless appeared to induce some changes in the surface layers of the treated organisms, rendering them susceptible to sub-inhibitory concentrations of non-antibiotic drugs.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haque
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002614:Chelating Agents; D004492:Edetic Acid