%0 Journal Article %A Gutteridge, J. M. C. %A Lamport, P. %A Dormandy, T. L. %T Autoxidation as a Cause of Antibacterial Activity in Unsaturated Fatty Acids %D 1974 %J Journal of Medical Microbiology, %V 7 %N 3 %P 387-389 %@ 1473-5644 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/00222615-7-3-387 %I Microbiology Society, %X SUMMARY Four unsaturated fatty acids were allowed to undergo varying degrees of autoxidation before being tested for antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichiu coli, Clostridium welchii, and Bacteroides sp. The degree of inhibition was proportional to the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acid and to the duration of its autoxidation. Some of the antibacterial activity of fatty acids described in the past could be accounted for by autoxidation products. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-7-3-387