Antimicrobial Peptides Found Effective Against Salmonella and E. coli, Offering Hope Against AMR: Study

New Delhi — Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), short chains of amino acids known for their ability to kill bacteria, have shown promising potential in controlling pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli — two of the most common causes of foodborne diseases — according to a new study.

Researchers found that these peptides can destroy harmful bacteria without inducing antibiotic resistance, making them a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

“Antimicrobial peptides have the potential to be alternatives to antibiotics and thereby could mitigate antibiotic resistance,” said Dr. Gireesh Rajashekara, corresponding author of the study and Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“These peptides not only can kill Salmonella but also other related bacterial pathogens such as E. coli, so they could be really valuable in controlling a broad range of pathogens,” he added.

The study was aimed at finding antibiotic alternatives to control Salmonella infections in chickens — a major source of foodborne illness in humans. In the US, Salmonella is among the leading causes of such infections, often linked to contaminated poultry meat and eggs.

Published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum, the research identified several antimicrobial peptides capable of killing multiple strains of Salmonella in lab tests and further demonstrated their effectiveness in infected chickens.

The peptides act by disrupting bacterial membranes, and notably, they remained stable under heat and protease exposure — key properties needed for use in the poultry industry.

“We identified two antimicrobial peptides that kill many different types of Salmonella and also reduce Salmonella load in chickens,” Rajashekara explained.

He added that the next step would be to conduct large-scale trials, optimize delivery methods through water or feed, better understand the mechanism of bacterial killing, and explore additional peptides with similar anti-Salmonella potential.

With inputs from IANS