Susceptibility and features of the ultrastructure of Prototheca zopfii following exposure to copper sulphate, silver nitrate and chlorexidine.

One of the most important forms of the occurrence of protothecosis is bovine mastitis. Studies on the "in vivo" and "in vitro" susceptibility to antimicrobials have shown that the microorganism is resistant to most of them. Looking for alternative treatments this study aimed to study the susceptibility to copper sulphate (which has an important algicide effect) and silver nitrate (used in dairy cattle breeding for the cauterization of mammary glands) and also to chlorexidine (an important post-dipping anti-septic used in dairy practice), and the effect of these antimicrobials in the ultrastructure of Prototheca zopfii before and after the exposure to these drugs. The "in vitro" susceptibility tests to chlorexidine, silver nitrate and copper sulphate of the strains of Prototheca zopfii for the determination of their minimal microbicidal concentrations (MMC), were performed using the tube dilution method in Sabouraud dextrose broth and evaluation of colony growth after plating in Sabouraud dextrose agar. The MMCs of chlorexidine, copper sulphate and silver nitrate of the 50 strains tested were 0.01%, 0.1% and 0.3%, respectively. The tubes containing the material used in the antimicrobial susceptibility tests were prepared for the examination in an electron microscope. The untreated controls of P. zopfii showed a similar ultrastructural appearance with the typical characteristics of the microorganism. Cells exposed to silver nitrate showed changes suggesting thickness of the cell wall. Cells exposed to chlorexidine showed changes suggesting degradation of intra-cellular organelles present in the cytoplasm. P. zopfii treated with copper sulphate showed changes suggesting fibrilation of inner layer of cell wall.