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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #395638
Research Project: Novel Methods for the Mitigation of Human Pathogens and Mycotoxin Contamination of High Value California Specialty Crops

Location: Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research

Title: Effect of an eco-friendly cuminaldehyde guanylhydrazone disinfectant on Shiga toxin production and global transcription of Escherichia coli

Author
item WANG, YAN - Chinese Center For Disease Control
item Hart-Cooper, William
item Rasooly, Reuven
item Carter, Michelle
item Orts, William
item Gu, Yong
item He, Xiaohua

Submitted to: Toxins
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/30/2022
Publication Date: 11/2/2022
Citation: Wang, Y., Hart-Cooper, W.M., Rasooly, R., Carter, M.Q., Orts, W.J., Gu, Y.Q., He, X. 2022. Effect of an eco-friendly cuminaldehyde guanylhydrazone disinfectant on Shiga toxin production and global transcription of Escherichia coli. Toxins. 14(11). Article 752. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14110752.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14110752

Interpretive Summary: To combat the rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance, a group of reversible antimicrobial disinfectants were developed. However, the mode of action of these disinfectants were not known. In this study, we investigated the global transcriptomic changes in E. coli treated with a guanylhydrazone disinfectant.

Technical Abstract: Antimicrobials have been important medicines used to treat various infections. However, the pervasive use of persistent antibiotics has led to ecotoxicity and antibiotic resistance. To turn back the tide, we have developed several reversible antimicrobials. In this study, RNA sequencing was applied to investigate global transcriptional changes of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in response to a sublethal concentration of a broad-spectrum and reversible antibiotic guanylhydrazone. Differentially expressed genes in two guanylhydrazone-treated relative to non-treated E. coli strains were determined. It was found that treatment of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) with guanylhydrazone did not induce Shiga toxin production but enhanced the expression of genes associated with the SOS response system. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis revealed that guanylhydrazone treatment significantly downregulated the pathways of ribosome and flagellar assembly in both pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains and differentially regulated other pathways essential for bacteria to maintain cell shape and confer survival advantage between two strains. In addition, upregulation of antibiotic resistance genes related to the multidrug efflux system and virulence genes coding for colibactin, colicin, and adhesin was observed in strains treated with the disinfectant. The knowledge obtained in this study contributes to our understanding of the mode of this disinfectant action and facilitates our effort to improve the disinfectant, making its application more efficient and effective.