This systematic review summarizes multiple non-antibiotic therapeutic approaches for combating multidrug-resistant Salmonella, including small molecule inhibitors, quorum sensing blockers, probiotics, and antimicrobial peptides, demonstrating significant application potential.
Literature Overview
This article, 'Antibiotic Alternatives and Next-Generation Therapeutics for Salmonella Control: A One Health Approach to Combating Antimicrobial Resistance' published in the journal Antibiotics, reviews novel anti-Salmonella interventions under antibiotic resistance scenarios. It systematically analyzes mechanisms and application potential of non-antibiotic therapies including small molecules, quorum sensing inhibitors, probiotics, short-chain fatty acids, phage therapy, nanoparticles, and host immune modulators, emphasizing their advantages in minimizing microbiome disruption and preventing resistance gene dissemination.
Background Knowledge
Salmonella, a ubiquitous Gram-negative zoonotic pathogen, causes acute gastroenteritis, bacteremia, and systemic infections. The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella strains has become a global challenge in public health and livestock industries, with declining antibiotic efficacy and rapid resistance spread through mobile genetic elements like plasmids, integrons, and transposons. This article comprehensively examines recent advances in non-antibiotic therapies for Salmonella control, focusing on their mechanisms, effectiveness, and clinical translatability, while advocating for sustainable prevention strategies under the One Health framework.
Research Methods and Experiments
This study systematically evaluated diverse non-antibiotic interventions targeting Salmonella through mechanisms including small molecule compounds (SMs) acting on LuxS/SdiA quorum sensing systems, biofilm formation, and virulence regulation. Probiotics like Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Bacillus species were analyzed for competitive adhesion exclusion, antimicrobial secretion, and immune modulation. Experimental models encompassed in vitro cell assays, murine infection models, and poultry colonization studies.
Key Conclusions and Perspectives
Research Significance and Prospects
The work highlights critical importance of non-antibiotic approaches in controlling MDR Salmonella, particularly for reducing antibiotic dependence and resistance transmission risks in agricultural and clinical settings. The authors recommend future research directions focusing on delivery system optimization, combination therapies, and integrated control strategies under the One Health framework. Novel host-targeted immune modulators addressing host-pathogen interactions may offer innovative solutions for precision medicine development.
Conclusion
The global dissemination of multidrug-resistant Salmonella poses severe threats to public health and livestock industries, with conventional antibiotic therapy facing declining efficacy and accelerated resistance spread. This systematic assessment demonstrates that non-antibiotic strategies—including small molecules, probiotics, phage therapy, and antimicrobial peptides—can effectively inhibit Salmonella colonization, virulence expression, and biofilm formation while preserving intestinal microbiota integrity. Although requiring further optimization for bioavailability and targeting specificity, these experimental findings establish foundations for developing next-generation anti-Salmonella interventions. Future research should integrate preclinical trials, scalable manufacturing, and stability testing to facilitate translational applications in both human medicine and food animal production.
