A Murine Model to Study the Antibacterial Effect of Copper on Infectivity of Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Riti Sharan¹  Sanjay Chhibber² 

[1] Centre for Plant and Water Science, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Health, CQ University, Rockhampton, Queensland 4702, Australia; E-Mail:;Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India; E-Mail:

关键词: copper;    Salmonella Typhimurium;    murine model;    infectivity;    phagocytosis;    sub-lethal injury;    ROS-neutralised;    tissue damage;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph8010021

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

This study investigated the effect of copper as an antibacterial agent on the infectivity of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Mice were infected orally with a standardized dose of unstressed Salmonella Typhimurium and copper-stressed cells of Salmonella Typhimurium. Bacterial counts in ileum, blood, liver and spleen were observed up to 168 h under normal aerobic conditions. Serum sensitivity, phagocytosis, malondialdehyde levels and histopathology were studied for both set of animals. A decreased bacterial count in the organs with mild symptoms of infection and a complete recovery by 48 h was observed in mice infected with copper-stressed bacteria. Histopathological examination of ileum tissue demonstrated regeneration of damaged tissue post-infection with copper-stressed bacteria and no malondialdehyde levels were detected after 24 h in ileum, spleen and liver. Exposure to copper sensitized Salmonella Typhimurium to the lytic action of serum and intracellular killing by peritoneal macrophages. It can be concluded that copper stress confers a decrease in the infectivity of healthy Salmonella Typhimurium in normal mice. This study highlights the significance of use of copper as an antibacterial agent against Salmonella Typhimurium in reducing the risk of incidence of Salmonella infections from contaminated water.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.