Tomato is a vegetable full of antioxidants, vitamins and other compounds. Two of them have been identified by researchers from Cornell University as highly bactericidal. The results were published in the magazine Microbiology Spectrum.
The team led by Jeongmin Song focused on examining the Salmonella enterica Typhi strains responsible for causing typhoid fever. Typhoid fever remains a serious problem in many parts of the world, including: in Southeast Asia.
“Our main goal in this study was to determine whether tomatoes and tomato juice can kill enteric pathogens, including Salmonella Typhi, and if so, what properties make them have this effect,” explains Song.
Scientists examined the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) genome, looking for genes encoding peptides. The team identified antimicrobial peptides that inhibited the growth of Salmonella Typhi. Peptides from tomatoes also killed strains resistant to ciprofloxacin – the main antibiotic used to treat typhoid fever.
The researchers also modeled the peptide structures. They also simulated their interactions with bacterial cell membranes. As expected, both peptides destroyed Salmonella Typhi cell membranes.
Researchers also tested the effect on Salmonella Typhimurium, which is responsible for other food poisoning. Tomato compounds also effectively eliminated this non-typhoid strain.
Typhoid fever remains a serious problem in regions with limited access to clean water and vaccinations. In addition, experts are also concerned about the spread of resistant strains, as we recently wrote about.
The authors of the study emphasize that the study is not a recommendation to drink liters of juice. The results reinforce the message about a varied diet rich in vegetables and fruit and food hygiene, which can reduce the risk of poisoning.
