Antimicrobial activity of quaternized heteroxylans.

A series of quaternized D-xylan polysaccharides, differing in the structural features of their macromolecular backbone, were tested for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Activity was comparable with that of the cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and depended on the degree of quaternization and the structural backbone of the derivatives.