Studies on the Mode of Action of the Phenolic Antibacterial Agent Fentichlor against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli I. The Adsorption of Fentichlor by the Bacterial Cell and its Antibacterial Activity

Fentichlor is adsorbed in fairly large amounts by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and, according to the quantity adsorbed, is either bacteriostatic or bactericidal. The observed pattern of uptake, measured under various conditions, indicates that uptake involves reversible adsorption of the neutral molecule on to the cell. The drug is taken up by the cell wall and cell membrane, the latter probably being the main site of adsorption and main site of action. Although both whole cells and cell walls of E. coli have a higher affinity for Fentichlor than those of Staph. aureus , the former is less susceptible to its antibacterial action. Results indicate that this may be due to the lipid‐rich nature of the cell walls of E. coli which act as an adsorbing barrier preventing the access of the drug to its site of action.