Improved proteolytic stability of chicken cathelicidin-2 derived peptides by D-amino acid substitutions and cyclization

A truncated version of host defense peptide chicken cathelicidin-2, C1-15, possesses potent, broad spectrum antibacterial activity. A variant of this peptide, F(2,5,12)W, which contains 3 phenylalanine to tryptophan substitutions, possesses improved antibacterial activity and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) neutralizing activity compared to C1-15. In order to improve the proteolytic resistance of both peptides we engineered novel chicken cathelicidin-2 analogs by substitution of l- with D-amino acids and head-to-tail cyclization. Both cyclic and D-amino acid variants showed enhanced stability in human serum compared to C1-15 and F(2,5,12)W. The D-amino acid variants were fully resistant to proteolysis by trypsin and bacterial proteases. Head-to-tail cyclization of peptide F(2,5,12)W resulted in a 3.5-fold lower cytotoxicity toward peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In general, these modifications did not influence antibacterial and LPS neutralization activities. It is concluded that for the development of novel therapeutic compounds based on chicken cathelicidin-2 D-amino acid substitutions and cyclization must be considered. These modifications increase the stability and lower cytotoxicity of the peptides without altering their antimicrobial potency.

A cathelicidin-2-derived peptide effectively impairs Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a major cause of nosocomial infections owing to its ability to form biofilms on the surface of medical devices. Biofilms are surface-adhered bacterial communities. In mature biofilms these communities are encased in an extracellular matrix composed of bacterial polysaccharides, proteins and DNA. The antibiotic resistance of bacteria present in biofilms can be up to 1000-fold higher compared with the planktonic phenotype. Host defence peptides (HDPs) are considered to be excellent candidates for the development of novel antibiotics. Recently, we demonstrated that a short variant of the HDP chicken cathelicidin-2, peptide F(2,5,12)W, has potent antibacterial and lipopolysaccharide-neutralising activities. This study reports on the antibiofilm activity of peptide F(2,5,12)W against two strains of S. epidermidis, including a multiresistant strain. Peptide F(2,5,12)W potently inhibited the formation of bacterial biofilms in vitro at a low concentration of 2.5 μM, which is below the concentration required to kill or inhibit growth (minimal inhibitory concentration=10 μM). Moreover, peptide F(2,5,12)W also impaired existing S. epidermidis biofilms. A 4-h challenge of pre-grown biofilms with 40 μM F(2,5,12)W reduced the metabolic activity of the wild-type strain biofilm completely and reduced that of the multiresistant strain biofilm by >50%. It is concluded that F(2,5,12)W prevents biofilm formation and impairs mature S. epidermidis biofilms.

Chicken cathelicidin-2-derived peptides with enhanced immunomodulatory and antibacterial activities against biological warfare agents

Host defence peptides (HDPs) are considered to be excellent candidates for the development of novel therapeutic agents. Recently, it was demonstrated that the peptide C1-15, an N-terminal segment of chicken HDP cathelicidin-2, exhibits potent antibacterial activity while lacking cytotoxicity towards eukaryotic cells. In the present study, we report that C1-15 is active against bacteria such as Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis that may potentially be used by bioterrorists. Substitution of single and multiple phenylalanine (Phe) residues to tryptophan (Trp) in C1-15 resulted in variants with improved antibacterial activity against B. anthracis and Y. pestis as well as decreased salt sensitivity. In addition, these peptides exhibited enhanced neutralisation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The antibacterial and LPS-neutralising activities of these C1-15-derived peptides are exerted at concentrations far below the concentrations that are toxic to human PBMCs. Taken together, we show that Phe-->Trp substitutions in C1-15 variants enhances the antibacterial and LPS-neutralising activities against pathogenic bacteria, including those that may potentially be used as biological warfare agents.

Salmonella serovar specific upregulation of porcine defensins 1 and 2 in a jejunal epithelial cell line

Defensins are important antimicrobial effector peptides of the innate immune system, which provides protection against bacterial infections in the intestine. Salmonella Choleraesuis and Salmonella Typhimurium are the most commonly isolated serovars in pig, but disease outcome is dependent on the Salmonella serovar. These infections are a serious problem for the swine industry and are also posing a major threat to public health because of Salmonella-related food-borne illnesses in human. To understand the innate immune response of pigs upon Salmonella infections, we studied the effect of these Salmonella serovars on defensin gene expression in the porcine ileal epithelial cell line IPEC-J2. With the use of scanning electron microscopy, we first visualized the surface characteristics of this cell line, and captured the invasion of Salmonella into the epithelial cell. Gene expression levels of porcine beta-defensin 1 and 2 were both induced upon S. Typhimurium infection but S. Choleraesuis had no effect. Invasion, adhesion and defensin susceptibility of both serovars were similar, which could not explain the observed difference in host response to these Salmonellae. In addition, induction of defensins was dependent on viability of S. Typhimurium, since Salmonella cell- or secreted components had no effect on defensin gene expression. These results provide further insight into the porcine innate immune response towards Salmonella infections, and could partially explain the different epidemiology of Salmonella infections in pig.

Surfactant collectins and innate immunity

Respiratory pathogens encounter various lines of defenses before infection of the host is established. The innate immune response represents an important first-line protection mechanism against potentially pathogenic microorganisms during early stages of infection of the naive host. Important players in this host defense system are 'collectins', a class of soluble innate immune proteins. Well-characterized members of the collectin family are the surfactant proteins A (SP-A) and D (SP-D). These collectins are expressed in the lung and also in extrapulmonary mucosal tissues. Collectins are secreted as multimers resulting in trimeric clustering of the lectin domains which enables recognition of evolutionary conserved sugar patterns present on the surface of a large variety of pathogens. Binding to collectins may lead to direct agglutination and neutralization of pathogens, to opsonization in order to present bound microbes directly to phagocytes, to modulation of the inflammatory response and to regulation of dendritic cell and T cell functions. In pulmonary tissue, this early acute-phase-like response can be regarded as a crucial layer of protection against a vast array of pathogens that escape the physical barriers and threaten to infect the delicate respiratory epithelium. An important clinical application may be the inhalation, or instillation of collectin-based drugs as part of surfactant therapy, to prevent and treat infectious and inflammatory diseases of newborn infants.

Chicken lung lectin is a functional C-type lectin and inhibits haemagglutination by influenza A virus

Many proteins of the calcium-dependent (C-type) lectin family have been shown to play an important role in innate immunity. They can bind to a broad range of carbohydrates, which enables them to interact with ligands present on the surface of micro-organisms. We previously reported the finding of a new putative chicken lectin, which was predominantly localized to the respiratory tract, and thus termed chicken lung lectin (cLL). In order to investigate the biochemical and biophysical properties of cLL, the recombinant protein was expressed, affinity purified and characterized. Recombinant cLL was expressed as four differently sized peptides, which is most likely due to post-translational modification. Crosslinking of the protein led to the formation of two high-molecular weight products, indicating that cLL forms trimeric and possibly even multimeric subunits. cLL was shown to have lectin activity, preferentially binding to alpha-mannose in a calcium-dependent manner. Furthermore, cLL was shown to inhibit the haemagglutination-activity of human isolates of influenza A virus, subtype H3N2 and H1N1. These result show that cLL is a true C-type lectin with a very distinct sugar specificity, and that this chicken lectin could play an important role in innate immunity.

Inhibition of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis on agar and raw chicken by carvacrol vapour

Carvacrol is known to inhibit a number of food borne pathogens. The activity of carvacrol vapour was evaluated against S. enterica serotype Enteritidis on tryptone soya agar and on pieces of raw chicken. On agar, the size of the inhibition zone increased with decreasing volume of agar, increasing vapour exposure period, increasing temperature, increasing volume of carvacrol used and with decreasing bacterial density. Inhibition was equally effective under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. On chicken pieces (10 x 10 x 5 mm, UV-sterilized and inoculated with approx. 5 x 10(3) cfu) carvacrol vapour significantly reduced viable numbers of salmonellae at 4, 20 and 37 degrees C and all viable cells were eliminated by a minimum of 3 h at 37 degrees C (p<0.05). A minimum concentration of 20% carvacrol v/v in ethanol was required to achieve a significant reduction and from 40% v/v no viable cells were recovered (p<0.05). In conclusion, carvacrol vapour is effective at inhibiting the growth of S. enterica serotype Enteritidis on agar and at inhibiting and eliminating these bacteria on the surface of raw chicken.

Low temperature and binding to food components inhibit the antibacterial activity of carvacrol against Listeria monocytogenes in steak tartare

Carvacrol is a major component of thyme and oregano essential oils and has potential uses as a food preservative. The effect of carvacrol on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes was investigated in vitro and in steak tartare. Carvacrol had strong antilisterial activity in growth medium (MIC = 1.6 mM), but no effect was observed when carvacrol was tested in steak tartare. There were two reasons for this reduced activity: the antilisterial activity of carvacrol was strongly reduced at lower temperatures (10 versus 30 degrees C), and the presence of food components interfered with the activity of carvacrol. Both bovine serum albumin and egg yolk inhibited carvacrol activity at > 0.2% (wt/vol) in growth medium. For the first time, carvacrol was found to bind to albumin, suggesting that the reduced antilisterial activity of carvacrol in foods such as dairy products and uncooked meats is the result of fewer free unbound carvacrol molecules available to interact with bacteria.

Porcine beta-defensin 2 displays broad antimicrobial activity against pathogenic intestinal bacteria

Defensins are small antimicrobial peptides that play an important role in the innate immune system of mammals. Here, we describe the antimicrobial activity of pBD-2, a recently discovered new porcine defensin that is produced in the intestine. A synthetic peptide corresponding to the mature protein showed high antimicrobial activity against a broad range of pathogenic bacteria, while it only showed limited hemolytic activity against porcine red blood cells. Highest activity was observed against Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. pBD-2 (4-8microM) killed these pathogens within 3h. The activity of pBD-2 against S. typhimurium was studied in more detail. At the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of pBD-2, complete killing of S. typhimurium was relatively fast with no viable bacteria left after 90 min. However, antimicrobial activity of pBD-2 was decreased at higher ionic strengths with no residual activity at 150mM NaCl. Transmission electron microscopy of pBD-2 treated S. typhimurium indicated that relatively low doses of pBD-2 caused a retraction of the cytoplasmic membrane, while pBD-2 concentrations close to the MBC led to cytoplasm leakage and complete lysis of bacterial cells. Considering the site of production and the activity, pBD-2 may be an important defense molecule for intestinal health.

Carvacrol induces heat shock protein 60 and inhibits synthesis of flagellin in Escherichia coli O157:H7

The essential oils of oregano and thyme are active against a number of food-borne pathogens, such as Escherichia coli O157:H7. Carvacrol is one of the major antibacterial components of these oils, and p-cymene is thought to be its precursor in the plant. The effects of carvacrol and p-cymene on protein synthesis in E. coli O157:H7 ATCC 43895 cells were investigated. Bacteria were grown overnight in Mueller-Hinton broth with a sublethal concentration of carvacrol or p-cymene, and their protein compositions were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and confirmed by Western blotting. The presence of 1 mM carvacrol during overnight incubation caused E. coli O157:H7 to produce significant amounts of heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) (GroEL) (P < 0.05) and inhibited the synthesis of flagellin highly significantly (P < 0.001), causing cells to be aflagellate and therefore nonmotile. The amounts of HSP70 (DnaK) were not significantly affected. p-Cymene at 1 mM or 10 mM did not induce HSP60 or HSP70 in significant amounts and did not have a significant effect on flagellar synthesis. Neither carvacrol (0.3, 0.5, 0.8, or 1 mM) nor p-cymene (0.3, 0.5, or 0.8 mM) treatment of cells in the mid-exponential growth phase induced significant amounts of HSP60 or HSP70 within 3 h, although numerical increases of HSP60 were observed. Motility decreased with increasing concentrations of both compounds, but existing flagella were not shed. This study is the first to demonstrate that essential oil components induce HSP60 in bacteria and that overnight incubation with carvacrol prevents the development of flagella in E. coli O157:H7.

Carvacrol induces heat shock protein 60 and inhibits synthesis of flagellin in Escherichia coli O157:H7

The essential oils of oregano and thyme are active against a number of food-borne pathogens, such as Escherichia coli O157:H7. Carvacrol is one of the major antibacterial components of these oils, and p-cymene is thought to be its precursor in the plant. The effects of carvacrol and p-cymene on protein synthesis in E. coli O157:H7 ATCC 43895 cells were investigated. Bacteria were grown overnight in Mueller-Hinton broth with a sublethal concentration of carvacrol or p-cymene, and their protein compositions were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and confirmed by Western blotting. The presence of 1 mM carvacrol during overnight incubation caused E. coli O157:H7 to produce significant amounts of heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) (GroEL) (P < 0.05) and inhibited the synthesis of flagellin highly significantly (P < 0.001), causing cells to be aflagellate and therefore nonmotile. The amounts of HSP70 (DnaK) were not significantly affected. p-Cymene at 1 mM or 10 mM did not induce HSP60 or HSP70 in significant amounts and did not have a significant effect on flagellar synthesis. Neither carvacrol (0.3, 0.5, 0.8, or 1 mM) nor p-cymene (0.3, 0.5, or 0.8 mM) treatment of cells in the mid-exponential growth phase induced significant amounts of HSP60 or HSP70 within 3 h, although numerical increases of HSP60 were observed. Motility decreased with increasing concentrations of both compounds, but existing flagella were not shed. This study is the first to demonstrate that essential oil components induce HSP60 in bacteria and that overnight incubation with carvacrol prevents the development of flagella in E. coli O157:H7.

Effects of surfactant protein D on growth, adhesion and epithelial invasion of intestinal Gram-negative bacteria

Surfactant protein D (SP-D) interacts with various different microorganisms and plays an important role in pulmonary innate immunity. SP-D expression has also been detected in extrapulmonary tissues, including the gastro-intestinal tract. However, its function in the intestine is unknown and may differ considerably from SP-D functions in the lung. Therefore, the effects of porcine SP-D (pSP-D) on several strains of intestinal bacteria were studied by means of bacterial growth assays, colony-count assays, radial diffusion assays and differential fluorescent staining. Furthermore, the effect of pSP-D on the adhesion- and invasion-characteristics was investigated. All bacterial strains tested in this study were aggregated by pSP-D, but only Escherichia coli K12 was susceptible to pSP-D-mediated growth inhibition. Bacterial membrane integrity of E. coli K12 was affected by pSP-D, but this did not lead to a reduced bacterial viability. Therefore, it is unlikely that pSP-D has a direct antimicrobial effect, and the observed effects are most likely due to pSP-D-mediated bacterial aggregation. The effects of pSP-D on bacterial adhesion and invasion were studied with the porcine intestinal epithelial cell line IPI-2I. Preincubation with pSP-D results in a several-fold increase in adhesion (E. coli and Salmonella) and invasion (Salmonella), but did not affect the IL-8 production induced by the bacteria. Results obtained in this study suggest that pSP-D promotes uptake of pathogenic bacteria by epithelial cells. This may reflect a scavenger function for pSP-D in the intestine, which enables the host to generate a more rapid response to infectious bacteria.

Expression of β-defensins pBD-1 and pBD-2 along the small intestinal tract of the pig: Lack of upregulation in vivo upon Salmonella typhimurium infection

Defensins are antimicrobial peptides that play an important role in the innate immune response in the intestine. Up to date, only one beta-defensin (pBD-1), has been described in pig, which was found to be expressed at low levels in the intestine. We set-up a quantitative PCR method to detect the gene expression of pBD-1 and a newly discovered porcine beta-defensin, pBD-2. Expression of pBD-1 mRNA increased from the proximal to the distal part of the intestine whereas pBD-2 expression decreased. The main gene expression sites for pBD-2 were kidney and liver, whereas pBD-1 was mainly expressed in tongue. The porcine small intestinal segment perfusion (SISP) technique was used to investigate effects of Salmonella typhimurium DT104 on intestinal morphology and pBD-1 and pBD-2 mRNA levels in vivo. The early responses were studied 2, 4 and 8 h post-infection in four separate jejunal and ileal segments. Immunohistochemistry showed invasion of the mucosa by Salmonella and changes in intestinal morphology. However, no concomitant changes in expression of either pBD-1 or pBD-2 were observed. We conclude that at least two defensins are differentially expressed in the intestine of pigs, and that expression of both defensins is not altered by S. typhimurium under these conditions.

The beta-defensin gallinacin-6 is expressed in the chicken digestive tract and has antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens

Food-borne pathogens are responsible for most cases of food poisoning in developed countries and are often associated with poultry products, including chicken. Little is known about the role of beta-defensins in the chicken digestive tract and their efficacy. In this study, the expression of chicken beta-defensin gallinacin-6 (Gal-6) and its antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens were investigated. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed high expression of Gal-6 mRNA in the esophagus and crop, moderate expression in the glandular stomach, and low expression throughout the intestinal tract. Putative transcription factor binding sites for nuclear factor kappa beta, activator protein 1, and nuclear factor interleukin-6 were found in the Gal-6 gene upstream region, which suggests a possible inducible nature of the Gal-6 gene. In colony-counting assays, strong bactericidal and fungicidal activity was observed, including bactericidal activity against food-borne pathogens Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Clostridium perfringens, and Escherichia coli. Treatment with 16 mug/ml synthetic Gal-6 resulted in a 3 log unit reduction in Clostridium perfringens survival within 60 min, indicating fast killing kinetics. Transmission electron microscopy examination of synthetic-Gal-6-treated Clostridium perfringens cells showed dose-dependent changes in morphology after 30 min, including intracellular granulation, cytoplasm retraction, irregular septum formation in dividing cells, and cell lysis. The high expression in the proximal digestive tract and broad antimicrobial activity suggest that chicken beta-defensin gallinacin-6 plays an important role in chicken innate host defense.

Differential regulation of porcine beta-defensins 1 and 2 upon Salmonella infection in the intestinal epithelial cell line IPI-2I

Intestinal epithelial cells represent the first line of defence against pathogenic bacteria in the lumen of the gut. Besides acting as a physical barrier, epithelial cells orchestrate the immune response through the production of several innate immune mediator molecules including beta-defensins. Here, we establish the porcine intestinal cell line IPI-2I as a new model system to test the regulation of porcine beta-defensins 1 and 2. Gene expression of both defensins was highly upregulated by foetal calf serum components in normal growth medium. In serum-free medium, baseline expression remained low, but pBD-2 gene expression was increased 10-fold upon infection with Salmonella Typhimurium. Arcobacter cryaerophilus and Salmonella Enteritidis, pathogenic bacteria with comparable adhesion and invasion characteristics, failed to increase pBD-2 mRNA levels. Heat killed or colistin-treated Salmonella Typhimurium had no effect, showing that the upregulation of pBD-2 was dependent on the viability of the Salmonella Typhimurium. Gene expression of pBD-1 was regulated differently since an increase in pBD-1 mRNA was observed by Salmonella Enteritidis infection. We conclude that the IPI-2I cells can serve as a new model to study porcine beta-defensin regulation and that pBD-1 and pBD-2 are differentially regulated in this cell line.

The early transcriptional response of pig small intestinal mucosa to invasion by Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium DT104

Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium (S. typhimurium) species are a leading cause of human invasive gastroenteritis. There is increasing in vitro evidence about Salmonella interaction with isolated cells or cell lines (macrophages, and enterocytes) on the molecular level, however, very little is known about in vivo interactions during actual invasion. We investigated the early interaction of S. typhimurium with intact small intestinal mucosa, in a pig model. Intestinal segments were infected with or without S. typhimurium DT104, and perfused. Whole mucosal gene expression was analyzed by cDNA array on 0, 2, 4, and 8h post-infection. Invasion resulted in the upregulation of only eight transcripts in jejunal mucosa, among those the proinflammatory IL-8 (at 4h only), and the antiinflammatory STAT3 (at 4 and 8h). The limited number of differentially expressed genes found here in vivo compared to in vitro is most likely due to the presence of multiple, heterogenous cell interactions in intact mucosa. Furthermore, it is concluded that S. typhimurium evades strong host responses by downregulating the local inflammatory response.

Structural requirements for the antimicrobial activity of carvacrol

Carvacrol is a component of several essential oils and has been shown to exert antimicrobial activity. The structural requirements for the activity of carvacrol were determined by comparison to structurally related (nonessential oil) compounds. Removal of the aliphatic ring substituents of carvacrol slightly decreased the antimicrobial activity. The effect of the hydroxyl group of carvacrol on activity could not be determined by simply comparing it to p-cymene, because this compound is immiscible with water; therefore, 2-amino-p-cymene, the amino analogue of carvacrol, which has a similar hydrophobicity and structural characteristics, was used. 2-Amino-p-cymene had similar membrane disruption and bacterial killing characteristics as carvacrol showing that, contrary to previous reports, the hydroxyl group of carvacrol itself is not essential for the antimicrobial activity. However, the observed 3-fold lower activity for 2-amino-p-cymene as compared to carvacrol indicates special features in the antimicrobial mode of action of carvacrol due to the hydroxyl group.

Characterization and expression sites of newly identified chicken collectins

Collectins are members of the family of vertebrate C-type lectins. They have been found almost exclusively in mammals, with the exception of chicken MBL. Because of their important role in innate immunity, we sought to identify other collectins in chicken. Using the amino acid sequences of known collectins, the EST database was searched and related to the chicken genome. Three chicken collectins were found and designated chicken Collectin 1 (cCL-1), chicken Collectin 2 (cCL-2), and chicken Collectin 3 (cCL-3), which resemble the mammalian proteins Collectin Liver 1, Collectin 11 and Collectin Placenta 1, respectively. Additionally, a lectin was found which resembled Surfactant Protein A, but lacked the collagen domain. Therefore, it was named chicken Lung Lectin (cLL). Tissue distribution analysis showed cCL-1, cCL-2 and cCL-3 are expressed in a wide range of tissues throughout the digestive, the reproductive and the lymphatic system. Similar to SP-A, cLL is mainly localized in lung tissue. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that cCL-1, cCL-2 and cCL-3 represent new subgroups within the collectin family. The newly found collectins may have an important function in avian host defence. Elucidation of the role of these pattern-recognition molecules could lead to strategies that thwart infectious diseases in poultry, which could also be beneficial for public health.

CMAP27, a novel chicken cathelicidin-like antimicrobial protein

Cathelicidins, antimicrobial peptides with broad spectrum activity, have been almost exclusively found in mammals. Here, we report the cloning of a novel avian cathelicidin, chicken myeloid antimicrobial peptide 27 (CMAP27) from chicken bone marrow cells. A combined expressed sequence tag (EST) and genomic based search revealed a cathelicidin-like gene located at the terminus of chromosome 2. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 5'RACE techniques resulted in a 154 amino acid prepropeptide, homologous to chicken cathelicidin 1 (51%) and most similar to alpha-helical myeloid antibacterial peptides (MAPs; 29-33%). A putative elastase cleavage site (LVQRG/RF) suggests the production of a 27 amino acid antimicrobial peptide, predicted to adopt an alpha-helical configuration followed by a hydrophobic tail. Comparative analyses between antimicrobial peptide domains showed marked similarity between CMAP27 and MAP members of the bovidae family, but not with the alpha-helical chicken cathelicidin 1. Strongest expression of CMAP27 mRNA was found in myeloid/lymphoid tissues, testis and uropygial gland. In accordance with the phylogenetic tree analysis, these findings support the theory of a common ancestral cathelicidin gene and suggest an important role for cathelicidins in chicken innate host defense.

Increase in activity of essential oil components carvacrol and thymol against Escherichia coli O157:H7 by addition of food stabilizers

The major components of oregano and thyme essential oils that had previously been shown to inhibit Escherichia coli O157:H7 were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection and liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometry. The MICs and MBCs of carvacrol, thymol, p-cymene, and gamma-terpinene against a strain of E. coli O157: H7 phage type 34 isolated from bovine feces were determined by microdilution assay. The constituents were then tested in checkerboard assays to detect possible interactions. Carvacrol and thymol displayed bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties with MICs of 1.2 mmol/liter and were additive in combination. p-Cymene and gamma-terpinene displayed no measurable antibacterial activity up to 50 mmol/liter, and neither influenced the activity of carvacrol or thymol. Growth curves in the presence of nonlethal concentrations of carvacrol with the addition of agar (0.05%, wt/vol) or carrageenan (0.125%, wt/vol) as stabilizer were produced by optical density measurement. The stabilizers agar and carrageenan both significantly improved the effectiveness of carvacrol in broth, possibly because of a delay in the separation of the hydrophobic substrate from the aqueous phase of the medium. When carvacrol was dissolved in ethanol before addition to broth, stabilizers were not needed. Carvacrol and thymol, particularly when used in combination with a stabilizer or in an ethanol solution, may be effective in reducing the number or preventing growth of E. coli O157:H7 in liquid foods.