Phenolics with Bactericidal Activity Alter Motility and Biofilm Formation in Enterotoxigenic, Enteropathogenic, and Enterohemorrhagic .

Most strains are innocuous to human beings; however, some strains can cause diarrhea and are grouped into pathotypes. Since current trends promote the use of natural-origin compounds to control bacteria, in this study, the effects of the phenolic compounds (PCs) tannic acid (TA), gallic acid (GA), methyl gallate (MG), and epigallocatechin gallate (EG) on the growth, swarming motility, biofilm formation, and expression of selected virulence genes of three pathotypes (enteropathogenic [EPEC], enterohemorrhagic [EHEC], and enterotoxigenic [ETEC]) were evaluated. Minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were determined by using microtiter plates, and the effects of sublethal PC concentrations on swarming motility were evaluated on Luria-Bertani agar.