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Lack of Synergy of EDTA with Antimicrobials in Resistant Enterobacteriaceae

1970; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 225; Issue: 5234 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/225763a0

1476-4687

Harold C. Neu, Elaine B. Winshell,

Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology

ETHYLENEDIAMINETETBAACETIC acid (EDTA) is known to increase the permeability of Enterobacteriaceae to certain compounds such as actinomycin1 and to make Escherichia coli susceptible to lysozyme lysis2. Presumably, this is related to the disruption of the cell wall characterized by loss of lipopolysaccharide3. Weiser, Asscher and Wim-penny4 reported that EDTA increases the sensitivity of certain organisms resistant to penicillin, ampicillin, chlor-amphenicol and tetracycline presumably by overcoming their permeability barrier to these antimicrobials. Resistance to ampicillin, penicillin and chloramphenicol has been demonstrated to be the result of an inactivation of the drugs by penicillinase5,6 and chloramphenicol acetyl trans-ferase7. The mechanism of resistance to tetracycline is unclear although Franklin8 suggested a change in permeability in E. coli with transferable resistance.