title: Ultrastructural study of chitosan effects on Klebsiella and staphylococci.
abstract: Antibacterial effect of chitosan on the morphofunctional organization of clinical strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus was studied by transmission electron microscopy. Chitosan promoted aggregation of bacterial cells and disorganization of bacterial cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane, which leads to the release of bacterial contents into the environment. These structural changes result in bacterial death.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microorganism Anatomy, N. F. Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow.
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Didenko
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Gerasimenko
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Konstantinova
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Silkina
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Avdienko
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Bannikova
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Varlamov
mesh_terms: D016667:Bacterial Capsules / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects*; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000187:drug effects; D048271:Chitosan / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D048271:Chitosan