Analysis via Atomic Force Microscopy of Streptococcus bovis Under Tylosin Phosphate and Virginiamycin Treatment

Authors: Palmer XL , Bartenslager AC , Mei L , Fernando SC and Dutta D*

DOI: 10.23880/nnoa-16000213

Volume 6, Issue 3

Abstract

Antibiotics are widely used in modern animal husbandry towards food production, to increase growth, and reduce pathogen colonization and shedding. The body of literature published concerning antibiotic use demonstrates that the continuous use of antibiotics can undesirably improve and accumulate bacterial antibiotic resistance, therefore imperiling much of modern animal husbandry. Thus, understanding the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and how pathogens respond to antibiotics is critical to reduce antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance. Towards this, mechanical characterizations must be supplied where possible to accompany molecular data to understand the surface, physical interactions of both pathogens, and the surfaces that they interface with. As a first step towards understanding how rumen microbes react to antibiotics, we investigated at a molecular level how Streptococcus bovis, a major contributor to lactic acidosis in the rumen, responds to tylosin phosphate and virginiamycin treatment using a time series exposure experiment while characterizing and imaging microbial responses using atomic force microscopy on various media. It was found that a supply of current typically improves bacterial surface modulus of elasticity, which may pave the way for an effective means of interfacing with bacteria as opposed to the use of antibiotics.

Keywords: Atomic Force Microscopy; Food; Antibiotics; Bio-Security; Imaging

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