Effects of Subinhibitory Concentrations of Ciprofloxacin on Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Virulence Factors

Abstract

Eight enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli were studied with the aim of investigating the effect of subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin on their adherence properties and on the expression of thermolabile enterotoxin. Our data showed that the hydrophobicity on the bacterial cell surface, the hemag-glutination properties, and thermolabile enterotoxin production were considerably reduced after treatment with subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin, suggesting that ciprofloxacin may be capable of decreasing adhesiveness and expression of the thermolabile toxin of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. In conclusion, our study supports the concept that subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin interfere with the process of host-parasite interactions such as adherence and toxin production.