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Bacterial spore structures and their protective role in biocide resistance

Bacterial spore structures and their protective role in biocide resistance Summary The structure and chemical composition of bacterial spores differ considerably from those of vegetative cells. These differences largely account for the unique resistance properties of the spore to environmental stresses, including disinfectants and sterilants, resulting in the emergence of spore‐forming bacteria such as Clostridium difficile as major hospital pathogens. Although there has been considerable work investigating the mechanisms of action of many sporicidal biocides against Bacillus subtilis spores, there is far less information available for other species and particularly for various Clostridia. This paucity of information represents a major gap in our knowledge given the importance of Clostridia as human pathogens. This review considers the main spore structures, highlighting their relevance to spore resistance properties and detailing their chemical composition, with a particular emphasis on the differences between various spore formers. Such information will be vital for the rational design and development of novel sporicidal chemistries with enhanced activity in the future. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Applied Microbiology Wiley

Bacterial spore structures and their protective role in biocide resistance

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References (157)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2012 The Authors Journal of Applied Microbiology © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology
ISSN
1364-5072
eISSN
1365-2672
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2672.2012.05336.x
pmid
22574673
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Summary The structure and chemical composition of bacterial spores differ considerably from those of vegetative cells. These differences largely account for the unique resistance properties of the spore to environmental stresses, including disinfectants and sterilants, resulting in the emergence of spore‐forming bacteria such as Clostridium difficile as major hospital pathogens. Although there has been considerable work investigating the mechanisms of action of many sporicidal biocides against Bacillus subtilis spores, there is far less information available for other species and particularly for various Clostridia. This paucity of information represents a major gap in our knowledge given the importance of Clostridia as human pathogens. This review considers the main spore structures, highlighting their relevance to spore resistance properties and detailing their chemical composition, with a particular emphasis on the differences between various spore formers. Such information will be vital for the rational design and development of novel sporicidal chemistries with enhanced activity in the future.

Journal

Journal of Applied MicrobiologyWiley

Published: Sep 1, 2012

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