1 research outputs found
Development of Bacteriostatic DNA Aptamers for Salmonella
<i>Salmonella</i> is one
of the most dangerous and common
food-borne pathogens. The overuse of antibiotics for disease prevention
has led to the development of multidrug resistant <i>Salmonella</i>. Now, more than ever, there is a need for new antimicrobial drugs
to combat these resistant bacteria. Aptamers have grown in popularity
since their discovery, and their properties make them attractive candidates
for therapeutic use. In this work, we describe the selection of highly
specific DNA aptamers to <i>S. enteritidis</i> and <i>S. typhimurium</i>. To evolve species-specific aptamers, twelve
rounds of selection to live <i>S. enteritidis</i> and <i>S. typhimurium</i> were performed, alternating with a negative
selection against a mixture of related pathogens. Studies have shown
that synthetic pools combined from individual aptamers have the capacity
to inhibit growth of <i>S. enteritidis</i> and <i>S.
typhimurium</i> in bacterial cultures; this was the result of
a decrease in their membrane potential