Sublethal benzalkonium chloride exposure induced direct protection and cross-protection to freezing stress in Salmonella Typhimurium

Clicks: 7
ID: 324640
2026
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal

Ranked #41 of 61 articles by views in letters in applied microbiology

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Abstract
Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is a widely used disinfectant, but its improper application can induce Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) to develop tolerance to subsequent stressors. In this study, we demonstrated that adaptation of S. Typhimurium to BAC conferred both direct protection and cross-protection against cold stress, resulting in significantly enhanced survival at -20°C compared with non-adapted cells. BAC-adapted S. Typhimurium also exhibited a survival advantage on chicken meat during frozen storage at -20 °C. Membrane fatty acid analysis indicated that adaptation of S. Typhimurium to BAC led to a 2.2-fold increase in the levels of cyclopropane fatty acids. Moreover, BAC-adapted S. Typhimurium showed a significant 8.0% increase in cell surface hydrophobicity. RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated upregulation of efflux pump genes tolC, acrB, and mdfA (3.6-, 3.4-, and 3.0-fold, respectively) and cold shock-related genes cspA, cspE, and rpoS (2.4-, 4.0-, and 2.6-fold, respectively). These findings suggest that upregulation of cold shock genes in BAC-adapted cells was associated with the observed cross-protection. Taken together, adaptation of S. Typhimurium to BAC promoted the development of direct and cross-protective phenotypes, which may increase the risk of cross-contamination and salmonellosis in the food industry, posing a serious threat to food safety and public health.
Reference Key
openalex_W7202181163 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Yuan Liang, Xin Li, Changqian Zhou, Lu Sun
Journal letters in applied microbiology
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/lambio/ovag066
URL
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.