Use of lipophilic beta-lactam antibiotics and carboxylate esters for the treatment of bacterial infections within citrus and other plant species
AssigneeBoard of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education on behalf of Nevada State College
InventorZachary R. Woydziak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is method for converting a beta-lactam antibiotic into a “masked” beta-lactam antibiotic to permit it to cross the waxy cuticle of a plant and then subsequently unmasking the beta-lactam and converting it into an active beta-lactam antibiotic in the plant phloem. The method permits the use of beta-lactam antibiotics to be used to treat a variety of plant bacterial infections that was not previously possible because the native beta-lactam antibiotics cannot cross the waxy cuticle of plants. In one embodiment the disclosure finds special use in the treatment of bacterial infection of citrus plants with Huanglongbing disease.
Claims13
A method of treating a bacterial infection, wherein the bacterial infection is Huanglongbing in a citrus plant comprising the steps of:
- a) identifying a citrus plant having a bacterial infection of Huanglongbing;
- b) providing a methylene ester alkyl modified beta-lactam antibiotic, wherein the methylene ester alkyl modified beta-lactam antibiotic is obtained by reacting the carboxylate functionality of a beta lactam antibiotic selected from the group consisting of benzyl penicillin, phenoxymethylpenicillin, and mixtures thereof with an oxymethyl alkyl halide to form a beta-lactam antibiotic having two ester groups separated by a methylene group and with an alkyl group pending from one of said two ester groups;
- and
- c) applying a composition consisting of the methylene ester alkyl modified beta-lactam antibiotic of step b) and a carrier vehicle to an outside surface of the plant having the bacterial infection in an amount sufficient to treat the bacterial infection, wherein the carrier vehicle is selected from the group consisting of a horticultural oil, water, or a combination thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.