Imperial's team found that salt kills Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus is a common source of food poisoning, resistant to high temperatures and high salt concentrations, which are often used in food preparation and storage.
the team hopes to use this knowledge to develop a way to prevent food poisoning to ensure that all bacteria in food are killed.
they also looked closely at whether the findings could help treat patients treated with traditional antibiotics.
one in four people naturally have Staphylococcus aureus on their skin or nose.
However, if the bacteria enters the body, it can cause serious infections, blood poisoning and even death.
a "superbug" called MRSA, which is also resistant to the antibiotic methylin.
Staphylococcus aureus can also cause food poisoning, usually through contaminated meat products such as ham, as well as sandwiches, salads and dairy products.
In this new study, the Imperial team has discovered how Staphylococcus aureus regulates its own salt intake.
interfere with this mechanism means that bacteria either absorb too much salt from their surroundings or lose too much water - causing them to become dehydrated and dead.
lead author of the study, Professor Angelika Gr?ndling, from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College Of Technology, said: "Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen that causes severe infections in many clinical lying patients.
with this study, we now have a better understanding of how bacteria cope with salt loads.
Although this research is still in its early stages, we hope that this knowledge will one day help us prevent foodborne Staphylococcus aureus infections and may lead to the development of a new treatment that works in conjunction with antibiotic treatments."
In the latest study, published in the journal Scientific Signals, the team studied methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cells in the lab and found that a signaling molecule called cyclodenosine played a key role in regulating the bacteria's own salt levels.
Staphylococcus aureus is notoriously resistant to high salt concentrations, although scientists have so far wondered why.
in the new study, the team found that when a signal inglisdetected bacteria in a high-salt environment, the signal molecule sits on several "transported" proteins and transmits signals to them to react accordingly, protecting cells from damage. high
salt concentrations dehydrate cells, which is why we feel thirsty after eating salty food.
therefore, in order to prevent dehydration, the transport protein enters the cell, this molecule is like a miniature sponge.
it sucks up water and locks it in cells to prevent dehydration.
prevents the loss of water, and the tiny sponge also prevents salt from continuing to enter the cells.
researchers were able to disrupt this salt balance mechanism, and they found that by increasing the signals passed to transport proteins, the number of these miniature sponges decreased significantly.
inhibitthis this salt protection mechanism makes MRSA cells more sensitive to salt, which ultimately leads to the destruction of bacterial cells.
a similar mechanism for listeria has been found in other research groups.
listeria is also a common cause of food poisoning.
Dr Christopher Schuster, from Imperial College of Technology's Department of Medicine, who co-authored the study, added: "Many food preservation methods are salted to keep food fresh and prevent bacteria from multiplying.
However, there are always bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus that can withstand high salt concentrations and survive.
But if we can develop a way to block these signal molecules, we can make sure that all bacteria are killed with salt." "At the moment, the team is exploring this mechanism further in the hope of finding the exact way signaling molecules regulate transport proteins,"
.
they also studied the other types of molecular sponges involved in the process.
Source: Decoding Medicine.