Mechanistic study on the susceptibility of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> to common antimicrobial preservatives mediated by wall teichoic acids.

ABSTRACT: Staphylococcus aureus is a common food-borne pathogen that easily develops resistance to antibiotics and antimicrobial peptides partly because of wall teichoic acids (WTAs), the peptidoglycan-anchored polymers important for cell physiology. In the food industry, there is an increasing prevalence of S. aureus despite the widespread use of antimicrobial preservatives, and it remains elusive how WTAs affect the susceptibility of S. aureus to these preservatives. In this study, we first identified that the presence of WTAs altered S. aureus sensitivity to tea polyphenol, sodium dehydroacetate, and ε-polylysine after screening 14 frequently used antimicrobial food preservatives. Then, via a series of genetic and biochemical analyses combined with molecular dynamics s

SUBMITTER: Wu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12285261 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature