Fatty acid analysis ofStenotrophomonas maltophilia clinical strains showing different susceptibility to antibiotics at 30 and 37C

• Published in: Folia microbiologica Vol. 47; no. 6; pp. 742 - 746
• Main Authors: Hejnar, P, Chmela, Z, Rypka, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.12.2002
• ISSN: 0015-5632; 1874-9356
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02818682

Isolates ofStenotrophomonas maltophilia species display the feature "temperature-dependent susceptibility" (TDS) to antibiotics. Both 30TDS strains (at least 4 times lower value of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of an antibiotic at 30 than at 37C) and 37TDS strains (at least 4 times lower value of MIC at 37 than at 30C) were described. Changes in the distribution of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (FA) at 30 and 37C were considered as one of possible causes of the TDS phenomenon. Gas chromatography was used to determine the distribution of individual FA in five 37TDS strains ofS. maltophilia (Group I); in five strains with MIC values unaffected by the cultivation temperature (Group II) and in six 30TDS (four strains) or 30/37TDS (two strains) isolates (Group III). At identical temperatures, no statistically significant differences in the distribution of major FA (iso-15:0,anteiso-15:0, 16:0 and 16:1) were registered between individual groups. Statistically significant (p<0.05) differences between groups were found in minor FA only (iso-16:0,iso-17:0 andiso-17:1). Distribution changes of cellular FA at 30 and 37C can be considered to play only a minor role in the formation of the TDS phenomenon.