Comparison of the activities of the lantibiotics nisin and lacticin 3147 against clinically significant mycobacteria

James Carroll (1) , Lorraine A. Draper (2) , Paula M. O'Connor (3) , Aidan Coffey (1) , Colin Hill (2, 4) , R. Paul Ross (3, 4) , Paul D. Cotter (3, 4) , Jim O'Mahony (1)

1 Department of Biological Sciences
2 Department of Microbiology
3 Moorepark Food Research Centre
4 Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre

The aim of this study was to use the microtitre alamarBlue assay to investigate and compare the antimycobacterial potential of the lantibiotics nisin and lacticin 3147 against a representative cohort of clinically significant mycobacteria, i.e. H37Ra, subsp. (MAP) ATCC 19698 and CIT11/06. Lacticin 3147 displayed potent activity against all strains of mycobacteria, with MIC values (lowest concentration of lantibiotic that prevented growth of >90% of the bacterial population) of 60mg/L and 15mg/L for and MAP, respectively. Lacticin 3147 was particularly effective against H37Ra, with an MIC value of 7.5mg/L. Nisin, although inhibitory, was generally less potent against all strains of mycobacteria, with MIC values of 60mg/L for and >60mg/L for MAP and H37Ra. Thus, lacticin 3147 is a potent antimycobacterial peptide that shows superior activity compared with nisin at physiological pH.

Mots clés: Mycobacteria; Viability; Lantibiotics; AlamarBlue

James Carroll, Lorraine A. Draper, Paula M. O'Connor, Aidan Coffey, Colin Hill, et al.. Comparison of the activities of the lantibiotics nisin and lacticin 3147 against clinically significant mycobacteria. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 2010, 36 (2), pp.132. ⟨10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2010.03.029⟩. ⟨hal-00601192⟩