{
  "abstract": "Background: Antimicrobial peptides are considered a promising alternative to conventional antibiotics for controlling Listeria monocytogenes, a major foodborne pathogen. However, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, including co- and cross-resistance between structurally and functionally distinct peptides, remains a critical and insufficiently explored challenge. This study aimed to investigate and characterize the mechanisms underlying co- and cross-resistance among five distinct antimicrobial peptides: nisin Z, pediocin PA-1, plantaricin S, brevibacillin, and its synthetic analog brevibacillin Thr1, selected for their diverse structures and modes of action.\n\nResults: All tested peptides exhibited strong anti-listerial activity, with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 15 µM and minimum bactericidal concentrations from 1 to 60 µM. Resistant variants were generated through stepwise adaptive evolution by exposing Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19,111 to gradually increasing peptide concentrations. These variants were characterized based on resistance levels, growth rates, and resistance stability. No cross-resistance was observed between antimicrobial peptides and conventional antibiotics. However, co-resistance and cross-resistance were identified among certain peptides, particularly those sharing structural or functional similarities, suggesting overlapping or convergent resistance mechanisms. Whole-genome sequencing and metabolic analyses revealed distinct genetic mutations associated with resistance phenotypes, along with specific alterations in metabolic pathways.\n\nConclusion: This study demonstrates that Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19,111 can develop co- and cross-resistance to antimicrobial peptides, especially among structurally or functionally related compounds. The findings highlight the complexity of resistance mechanisms and emphasize the importance of integrating genomic and metabolic approaches to better understand adaptive responses to antimicrobial pressure. These insights may inform the development of more effective antimicrobial strategies and support the rational design of peptide-based interventions to control foodborne pathogens.\n\nSupplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-026-05467-w.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Département des Sciences des Aliments, Faculté des Sciences de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation, Université Laval, Québec (QC), Canada",
    "Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec (QC), Canada",
    "Research Center in Infectious Diseases, Université Laval, Québec (QC), Canada",
    "Institut of Nutrition and Functional Foods, Université Laval, Québec (QC), Canada",
    "Faculté de Pharmacie, The Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function, Engineering, and Applications, Université Laval and PROTEO, Québec (QC), Canada",
    "Département de microbiologie, infectiologie et immunologie, Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec (QC), Canada",
    "Listeriosis Reference Centre, Food Safety Regulatory Research Division, Bureau of Microbial and Toxicological Food Safety, Food and Nutrition Directorate, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Omar Fliss"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2,
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Louis-David Guay"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Nguyen Phuong Pham"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Philippe Leprohon"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Ramzi Guerbaa"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Marc Ouellette"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Natalie Fava"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Franco Pagotto"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2,
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Éric Biron"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Ismail Fliss"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bcc6v9prtszge.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s12866-026-05467-w",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13733129/",
  "id": "bcc6v9prtszge",
  "issns": [
    "1471-2180"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-026-05467-w",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2404|Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7197037574",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13733129",
  "pmid": "42983626",
  "published": "2026-08-07",
  "publisher": "BMC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bcc6v9prtszge.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-08T12:22:59Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13733129",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-026-05467-w"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2404|Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Microbiological and genomic approaches to study and characterize co- and cross-resistance to antimicrobial peptides in Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19,111 variants",
  "title_text": "Microbiological and genomic approaches to study and characterize co- and cross-resistance to antimicrobial peptides in Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19,111 variants",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T12:22:59Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bcc6v9prtszge",
  "venue": "BMC Microbiology",
  "versions": []
}