Understanding the antibacterial mechanisms of copper ion treatment on Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis

Copper and its alloys are natural and very well-proven antimicrobial materials. The mechanisms of action through which copper is highly effective have been described at the molecular and cellular level. However, both the design of the studies carried out and the nature of the microorganisms studied have meant that this research has been of limited scope. In the present study, we examined the action mechanisms of a copper ion treatment on the integrity of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), a highly resistant animal pathogen. The copper ion treatment applied to MAP cells, resulted in nucleic acid degradation and disintegration, increased ROS production and protein alteration. However, the observed susceptibility of MAP to copper-based treatment was dose-dependent. Finally, it had no effect on the integrity of the MAP cell wall. This new evidence about the observed tolerance in the MAP cell wall against the copper ions, may help us to understand how we can improve the proposed copper-based treatment, and finally achieve a totally effective alternative to control MAP in calf´s milk.