Antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of rhamnolipid and sophorolactone on some pathogenic bacteria

Biosurfactants are varieties of surfactants, usually produced by microorganisms. These substances are used in various fields such as pharmaceutical industry, cosmetics production, food, agriculture, animal husbandry applications and waste treatment. These substances also have antibacterial, antiviral and antibiofilm activities. In our study, the antimicrobial, antibiofilm and mature biofilm eradicating effects of rhamnolipid and sophorolactone biosurfactants on standard and clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated. The antimicrobial activity was determined by agar well diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration were determined by microdilution method and antibiofilm activity was determined by crystal violet staining method in microplate. As a result of the study; rhamnolipid and sophorolactone were found to have antimicrobial effect on standard and clinical isolates of S. aureus, E. faecalis, A. baumannii, and P. aeruginosa, which are important human pathogens, and also inhibited the biofilm development ability of these pathogens.