Abstract
Kaurenoic acid is a diterpene with selective antibacterial activity against Gram-positive
bacteria. The compound is bacteriolytic for Bacillus cereus. This activity was only partially affected by the composition and pH of the culture
medium. Loss of the ability to retain the Gram stain and morphological alterations
were produced in B. cereus cells exposed to kaurenoic acid. On the other hand, LPS mutants of Salmonella typhi were resistant to the compound, but spheroplasts of Escherichia coli became more sensitive to kaurenoic acid.
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Dr. M. Wilkens
Departamento de Biología
Facultad de Química y Biología
Universidad de Santiago de Chile
Casilla 40
Correo 33
Santiago Chile
eMail: mwilkens@lauca.usach.cl
Fax: +56-2-681-2108