Repeated sub-inhibitory doses of cassia essential oil do not increase the tolerance pattern in Listeria monocytogenes cells

Antimicrobial resistance in Listeria monocytogenes biofilms is considered a risk. When using disinfectants, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) must be contemplated to avoid resistance. The objective of the present study was to determine the MIC of four essential oils in four L. monocytogenes strains. Once the MICs were obtained, the effect of subinhibitory doses of the most effective oil was determined. Strains were subsequently subjected to increasing doses of cassia and the MICs were determined again to evaluate differences. The effect of subinhibitory doses for biofilm formation was evaluated using quantitative and observational methodologies. Last, it was studied whether the strains were more sensitive to antibiotics after being in contact with the oil. After continuous exposure to 1/2 MIC, a decrease in the initial MIC (P = 0.013) was observed, specifically for strains belonging to serotype 1/2a (P = 0.041). In contrast, the formation of biofilms did not show differences between the control and exposed groups (P > 0.05). The qualitative study showed that there were no differences in the structure of the biofilms before and after contact with cassia, except for the CECT 935 strain, indicating a strain-dependent trend. Moreover, species-dependent differences were observed in the conformation of the extracellular matrix.