This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by McBain, A. J.
Right arrow Articles by Gilbert, P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by McBain, A. J.
Right arrow Articles by Gilbert, P.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by McBain, A. J.
Right arrow Articles by Gilbert, P.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2004, p. 3449-3456, Vol. 70, No. 6
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.6.3449-3456.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effects of Quaternary-Ammonium-Based Formulations on Bacterial Community Dynamics and Antimicrobial Susceptibility

Andrew J. McBain,1* Ruth G. Ledder,1 Louise E. Moore,1 Carl E. Catrenich,2 and Peter Gilbert1

School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom,1 Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio2

Received 1 December 2003/ Accepted 20 February 2004

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are widely used as adjuncts to hygiene in domestic cleaning products. Current concern that the increased use of such biocides in consumer products might contribute to the emergence of antibiotic resistance has led us to examine the effects of a QAC-containing domestic cleaning fluid on the population dynamics and antimicrobial susceptibility of domestic sink drain biofilm communities. QAC susceptibilities of numerically dominant, culturable drain bacteria (15 genera, 17 species) were determined in vitro before and after repeated QAC exposure (14 passages). A fully characterized drain microcosm was then exposed to short-term (12 days) and long-term (3 months) dosing with a QAC-containing domestic detergent (QD). QAC exposure of isolated cultures caused both increases (three species) and circa twofold decreases (six species) in QAC susceptibility. The susceptibility of Ralstonia sp. was considerably decreased following 14 consecutive QAC passages. Control drain microcosm biofilms maintained dynamic stability, as evidenced by culture and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis. Bacterial population densities were largely unaffected during short-term exposure to use levels of QD, although 50% QD caused circa 10-fold viability reductions. DGGE analysis supported these observations; identified the major microcosm genera as Pseudomonas, Pseudoalteromonas, Erwinia, and Enterobacter, and showed that aeromonads increased in abundance under 10 to 50% QD. Long-term exposure of the microcosms to QD did not significantly alter the pattern of antimicrobial susceptibility. These data demonstrate the recalcitrance of domestic drain biofilms toward QAC and that although repeated QAC exposure of drain isolates in pure culture results in susceptibility change in some test bacteria, such changes do not necessarily occur within complex communities.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 (0)161 275 2361. Fax: 44 (0)161 275 2396. E-mail: andrew.mcbain{at}man.ac.uk.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2004, p. 3449-3456, Vol. 70, No. 6
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.6.3449-3456.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Moore, L. E., Ledder, R. G., Gilbert, P., McBain, A. J. (2008). In Vitro Study of the Effect of Cationic Biocides on Bacterial Population Dynamics and Susceptibility. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 4825-4834 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Takenaka, S., Tonoki, T., Taira, K., Murakami, S., Aoki, K. (2007). Adaptation of Pseudomonas sp. Strain 7-6 to Quaternary Ammonium Compounds and Their Degradation via Dual Pathways. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 1797-1802 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gaze, W. H., Abdouslam, N., Hawkey, P. M., Wellington, E. M. H. (2005). Incidence of Class 1 Integrons in a Quaternary Ammonium Compound-Polluted Environment. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 49: 1802-1807 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»