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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1962 September; 10(5): 458-462

Effects of a Quaternary Ammonium Compound on Escherichia coli¹

New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, New Brunswick, New Jersey

ABSTRACT

Increasing amounts of tetradecyldimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride (TAC) were lethal to an increasing proportion of an actively growing culture of Escherichia coli. The loss of nucleic acid material by actively growing E. coli did not appear to play a major role in the lethal effect. It was found that lag-phase cells were more sensitive than logarithmic-phase cells to the lethal effect of TAC. The effect of TAC on the lysozyme sensitivity of the test organism was compared with that obtained using disodium dihydrogen ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA). Although TAC was found to render the test organism susceptible to lysozyme, the degree of lysis never reached that attained with EDTA.

² Present address: Plum Island Animal Disease Laboratory, Greenport, Long Island, N. Y.

¹ Paper of the Journal Series, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Rutgers, The State University, Department of Dairy Science, New Brunswick, N. J. Portion of a dissertation presented by the senior author as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree.