Anti-infective activities of long-chain fatty acids against foodborne pathogens

This review highlights the role of long-chain free fatty acids as signaling molecules acting to inhibit the infectious potential of important foodborne pathogens, including Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. Free fatty acids (FFAs) have long been acknowledged for their antimicrobial activity. More recently, long-chain FFAs (>12 carbon atoms) are receiving increased attention for their potent antivirulence activity against pathogenic bacteria. In the gastrointestinal tract, foodborne pathogens encounter a variety of long-chain FFAs derived from the diet, metabolic activities of the gut microbiota, or the host. This review highlights the role of long-chain FFAs as signaling molecules acting to inhibit the infectious potential of important foodborne pathogens, including Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. Various long-chain FFAs interact with sensory proteins and transcriptional regulators controlling the expression of infection-relevant genes. Consequently, long-chain FFAs may act to disarm bacterial pathogens of their virulence factors. Understanding how foodborne pathogens sense and respond to long-chain FFAs may enable the design of new anti-infective approaches.