Journal of Bacteriology & Parasitology

Unraveling the mechanistic details underlying the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of metal compounds

3^rd International Congress on Bacteriology and Infectious Diseases

August 04-06, 2015 Valencia, Spain

Joe A Lemire1, Lindsay Kalan2, Alexandru Bradu1 and Raymond J Turner1

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Bacteriol Parasitol

Abstract:

Historically metals have been used as antimicrobials to prevent and control infectious disease. An increase in the prevalence
of antibiotic resistant microorganisms in addition to a decrease in the emergence of novel antimicrobial therapeutics has
once again brought metals to the fore as potential options to treat infectious diseases. Recently, we described the antimicrobial and
antibiofilm activity of various silver and copper compounds including a silver salt with previously undiscovered antimicrobial
activity-silver oxynitrate. Indeed, silver oxynitrate eradicated both lab and clinical strains of E. coli, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus
including antibiotic resistant strains namely methicillin-resistant S. aureus and Fluoroquinolone-resistant P. aeruginosa at
concentrations lower than other tested metal compounds. Now, our aim is to provide a mechanistic understanding of how
metal compounds eradicate planktonic and biofilm populations of microorganisms. To study this, we have screened a mutant
library of E. coli (the Keio collection) for silver resistant and sensitive strains. Not surprisingly, our preliminary findings suggest
that silver toxicity cannot simply be described by an imbalance cellular ROS.