title: Bacteriocins: Not Only Antibacterial Agents.
abstract: This commentary was aimed at shedding light on the multifunction of bacteriocins mainly those produced by lactic acid bacteria. These antibacterial agents were first used to improve food safety and quality. With the increasing antibiotic resistance concern worldwide, they have been considered as viable agents to replace or potentiate the fading abilities of conventional antibiotics to control human pathogens. Bacteriocins were also shown to have potential as antiviral agents, plant protection agents, and anticancer agents. Bacteriocins were reported to be involved in shaping bacterial communities through inter- and intra-specific interactions, conferring therefore to producing strains a probiotic added value. Furthermore, bacteriocins recently were shown as molecules with a fundamental impact on the resilience and virulence of some pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Univ. Lille, INRA, ISA, Univ. Artois, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, EA 7394 - ICV - Institut Charles Viollette, 59000, Lille, France. djamel.drider@univ-lille1.fr.
authors.forename: Djamel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Drider
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Microbiologie Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, 06000, Bejaïa, Algeria.
authors.forename: Farida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bendali
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Microorganismes et Biomolécules Actives (LMBA), Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université El-Manar II 2092 El-Manar-II, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Naghmouchi
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers State University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.|Center for Digestive Health, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chikindas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001430:Bacteriocins; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators
keywords: Activities; Bacteriocins; Multifunction