Compromising the Protective Barrier of the Gram-Negative Bacterial Cell Surface

The A-layer influences the susceptibility of Aeromonas salmonicida to antibacterial peptides

“…The formation of a layer of peptide monomers on the membrane surface destabilises the phospholipid packing of the membrane leading to its eventual disintegration. Mutants which produce defective LPS lacking portions of the O-antigen chain show varying degrees of increased susceptibility to antibiotics (Reese & Clancy, 1992). Antibacterial peptides acting in parallel with antibiotics would not only enhance antibiotic activity, as observed for cecropin B (Moore et al, 1996) but also increase the spectrum of sensitive bacteria.…”