Adaptive changes in fatty acids of E. coli strains exposed to a quaternary ammonium salt and an amine oxide.

Resistant strains of Escherichia coli were obtained by stepwise cultivation in media with increasing concentration of antimicrobially active 1-(methyldodecyl)dimethylamine oxide and 1-(methyldodecyl)trimethylammonium bromide. Adaptive changes were determined in the fatty-acid (FA) composition in an isolated lipopolysaccharide sample from the outer membrane of these strains. The composition of this FA mixture from adapted strains was compared with that of FA from a sensitive strain. The differences were found in level of palmitic, heptadecanoic, heptadecenoic, heptadecadienoic and nonadecenoic acids. In addition, the adapted strains differed from each other in the content of myristic, pentadecanoic, stearic and linoleic acids.