Publications by authors named "Samantha J McCarlie"
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted our reliance on biocides, the increasing prevalence of resistance to biocides is a risk to public health. Bacterial exposure to the biocide, benzalkonium chloride (BAC), resulted in a unique transcriptomic profile, characterised by both a short and long-term response. Differential gene expression was observed in four main areas: motility, membrane composition, proteostasis, and the stress response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHormesis, or the hormetic effect, is a dose- or concentration-dependent response characterised by growth stimulation at low concentrations and inhibition at high concentrations. The impact of sub-lethal levels of disinfectants on the growth of species is critical to understanding the increasing number of outbreaks caused by this pathogen in healthcare settings. sp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Current knowledge about how bacteria resist disinfectants is limited, especially regarding the role of mobile genetic elements like genomic islands.
- Whole-genome sequencing of a disinfectant-resistant isolate revealed nine resistance islands containing various multidrug efflux pump genes and antibiotic resistance genes, indicating complex resistance mechanisms.
- Two specific genomic islands were identified as harboring genes that confer disinfectant resistance, suggesting that genomic islands could play a significant role in biocide resistance, marking a new area for research.
Article Synopsis
- Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the increased use of disinfectants has raised concerns about the development of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms that thrive in disinfectants.
- Research is ongoing into the mechanisms behind this resistance, such as biofilms and mobile genetic elements, to understand how certain pathogens can metabolize these compounds.
- Understanding the metabolic pathways of these resistant microorganisms could lead to alternative antimicrobial approaches and potential solutions for biodegrading harmful disinfectants.