Antibiotic Resistance among Escherichia coli Isolates, Antimicrobial Peptides and Cell Membrane Disruption to the Control of E. coli Infections

Abstract

The treatment of Escherichia coli infections has been seriously complicated due to the appearance of multidrug-resistant isolates and the rapid distribution of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing species. In recent years there has been considerable effort to develop alternative therapies to traditional antibiotics for infection diseases caused by antimicrobial agents. The mechanisms by which antimicrobial compounds induce bacterial damage have been suggested to be interaction with membranes, formation of pores lined by both lipids and peptides, or by a more general “Anionic lipid clustering,” and other specific mechanisms. The major constituents of the lipid bilayer on the outer membrane of E. coli as a Gram-negative bacteria are lipopolysaccharide, zwitterionic core oligosaccharides, saturated fatty acid chains with zwitterionic phospholipid head groups, and lipid A functionalized with anionic phosphate groups. Research findings emphasize the importance of the membrane composition of E. coli in determining the susceptibility to certain antimicrobial agents, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and successful treatment.