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Influence of specific growth rate and nutrient limitation upon the sensitivity of Escherichia coli towards chlorhexidine diacetate
Author(s) -
Wright Naomi E.,
Gilbert P.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of applied bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 0021-8847
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1987.tb04925.x
Subject(s) - chemostat , escherichia coli , cell envelope , chlorhexidine , chemistry , phosphorus , lipopolysaccharide , phospholipid , magnesium , nitrogen , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , biophysics , biology , bacteria , organic chemistry , membrane , dentistry , endocrinology , medicine , gene , genetics
The sensitivity of Escherichia coli to chlorhexidine has been assessed for cells grown in a chemostat at a variety of specific growth rates, under conditions of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and magnesium limitation. At slow rates of growth ( ca 0.08/h) little difference in sensitivity was observed. As growth rate was increased, however, the sensitivity of nitrogen‐ and carbon‐limited cells increased whilst that of magnesium‐ and phosphate‐limited cells decreased. It was not possible to correlate the observed patterns of chlorhexidine sensitivity with any single measure of cell envelope composition (phospholipid content, lipopolysaccharide, envelope proteins, etc.). The results presented are not consistent, therefore, with any simple model for chlorhexidine binding or action and more probably reflect subtle interaction between chlorhexidine, phospholipid‐lipopolysaccharide complexes and cations within the envelope.