scholarly journals Identification ofypqPas a New Bacillus subtilis Biofilm Determinant That Mediates the Protection of Staphylococcus aureus against Antimicrobial Agents in Mixed-Species Communities

2014 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar Sanchez-Vizuete ◽  
Dominique Le Coq ◽  
Arnaud Bridier ◽  
Jean-Marie Herry ◽  
Stéphane Aymerich ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIn most habitats, microbial life is organized in biofilms, three-dimensional edifices sustained by extracellular polymeric substances that enable bacteria to resist harsh and changing environments. Under multispecies conditions, bacteria can benefit from the polymers produced by other species (“public goods”), thus improving their survival under toxic conditions. A recent study showed that aBacillus subtilishospital isolate (NDmed) was able to protectStaphylococcus aureusfrom biocide action in multispecies biofilms. In this work, we identifiedypqP, a gene whose product is required in NDmed for thick-biofilm formation on submerged surfaces and for resistance to two biocides widely used in hospitals. NDmed andS. aureusformed mixed biofilms, and both their spatial arrangement and pathogen protection were mediated by YpqP. FunctionalypqPis present in other naturalB. subtilisbiofilm-forming isolates. However, the gene is disrupted by the SPβ prophage in the weak submerged-biofilm-forming strains NCIB3610 and 168, which are both less resistant than NDmed to the biocides tested. Furthermore, in a 168 laboratory strain cured of the SPβ prophage, the reestablishment of a functionalypqPgene led to increased thickness and resistance to biocides of the associated biofilms. We therefore propose that YpqP is a new and important determinant ofB. subtilissurface biofilm architecture, protection against exposure to toxic compounds, and social behavior in bacterial communities.

2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Orazi ◽  
Fabrice Jean-Pierre ◽  
George A. O’Toole

ABSTRACT The thick mucus within the airways of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) promotes frequent respiratory infections that are often polymicrobial. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are two of the most prevalent pathogens that cause CF pulmonary infections, and both are among the most common etiologic agents of chronic wound infections. Furthermore, the ability of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus to form biofilms promotes the establishment of chronic infections that are often difficult to eradicate using antimicrobial agents. In this study, we found that multiple LasR-regulated exoproducts of P. aeruginosa, including 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide (HQNO), siderophores, phenazines, and rhamnolipids, likely contribute to the ability of P. aeruginosa PA14 to shift S. aureus Newman norfloxacin susceptibility profiles. Here, we observe that exposure to P. aeruginosa exoproducts leads to an increase in intracellular norfloxacin accumulation by S. aureus. We previously showed that P. aeruginosa supernatant dissipates the S. aureus membrane potential, and furthermore, depletion of the S. aureus proton motive force recapitulates the effect of the P. aeruginosa PA14 supernatant on shifting norfloxacin sensitivity profiles of biofilm-grown S. aureus Newman. From these results, we hypothesize that exposure to P. aeruginosa PA14 exoproducts leads to increased uptake of the drug and/or an impaired ability of S. aureus Newman to efflux norfloxacin. Surprisingly, the effect observed here of P. aeruginosa PA14 exoproducts on S. aureus Newman susceptibility to norfloxacin seemed to be specific to these strains and this antibiotic. Our results illustrate that microbially derived products can alter the ability of antimicrobial agents to kill bacterial biofilms. IMPORTANCE Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are frequently coisolated from multiple infection sites, including the lungs of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) and nonhealing diabetic foot ulcers. Coinfection with P. aeruginosa and S. aureus has been shown to produce worse outcomes compared to infection with either organism alone. Furthermore, the ability of these pathogens to form biofilms enables them to cause persistent infection and withstand antimicrobial therapy. In this study, we found that P. aeruginosa-secreted products dramatically increase the ability of the antibiotic norfloxacin to kill S. aureus biofilms. Understanding how interspecies interactions alter the antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial biofilms may inform treatment decisions and inspire the development of new therapeutic strategies.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 2583-2587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert K. Flamm ◽  
Paul R. Rhomberg ◽  
Nachum Kaplan ◽  
Ronald N. Jones ◽  
David J. Farrell

ABSTRACTStaphylococcus aureusand coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are responsible for a wide variety of human infections. The investigational antibacterial Debio1450 (previously AFN-1720), a prodrug of Debio1452 (previously AFN-1252), specifically targets staphylococci without significant activity against other Gram-positive or Gram-negative species. Debio1452 inhibits FabI, an enzyme critical to fatty acid biosynthesis in staphylococci. The activity of Debio1452 against CoNS, methicillin-susceptibleS. aureus(MSSA), and methicillin-resistantS. aureus(MRSA), including significant clones, was determined. A globally diverse collection of 574 patient isolates from 35 countries was tested that included CoNS (6 species, 103 strains), MSSA (154 strains), MRSA (163 strains), and molecularly characterized strains (includingspa-typed MRSA clones; 154 strains). The isolates were tested for susceptibility by CLSI broth microdilution methods against Debio1452 and 10 comparators. The susceptibility rates for the comparators were determined using CLSI and EUCAST breakpoint criteria. AllS. aureusand CoNS strains were inhibited by Debio1452 concentrations of ≤0.12 and ≤0.5 μg/ml, respectively. The MIC50s for MSSA, MRSA, and molecularly characterized MRSA strains were 0.004 μg/ml, and the MIC90s ranged from 0.008 to 0.03 μg/ml. The MICs were higher for the CoNS isolates (MIC50/90, 0.015/0.12 μg/ml). AmongS. aureusstrains, resistance was common for erythromycin (61.6%), levofloxacin (49.0%), clindamycin (27.6%), tetracycline (15.7%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (7.0%). Debio1452 demonstrated potent activity against MSSA, MRSA, and CoNS. Debio1452 showed significantly greater activity overall (MIC50, 0.004 μg/ml) than the other agents tested against these staphylococcal species, which included dominant MRSA clones and strains resistant to currently utilized antimicrobial agents.


Author(s):  
Nur Aishah Abdul Wahab ◽  
Hairul Shahril Muhamad ◽  
Nabilah Ahmad Alhadi ◽  
Salina Mat Radzi ◽  
Maryam Mohamed Rehan ◽  
...  

Combination effects between Cymbopogon flexuosus and Cymbopogon nardus essential oils were studied to determine whether the combination could emerge as better and more powerful antimicrobial agents against six selected bacteria includes Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. This combination study exhibited 40.67% additive, 28.67% antagonistic, 16.00% indifferent and 14.66% synergistic effects. C. flexuosus and C. nardus essential oils in combination showed a high inhibitory activity against S. aureus with 16% synergistic, 64% additive and 20% indifferent effects.


2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (16) ◽  
pp. 4975-4981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorena Rodríguez-Rubio ◽  
Hans Gerstmans ◽  
Simon Thorpe ◽  
Stéphane Mesnage ◽  
Rob Lavigne ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBacteriophage-encoded endolysins are highly diverse enzymes that cleave the bacterial peptidoglycan layer. Current research focuses on their potential applications in medicine, in food conservation, and as biotechnological tools. Despite the wealth of applications relying on the use of endolysin, little is known about the enzymatic properties of these enzymes, especially in the case of endolysins of bacteriophages infecting Gram-negative species. Automated genome annotations therefore remain to be confirmed. Here, we report the biochemical analysis and cleavage site determination of a novelSalmonellabacteriophage endolysin, Gp110, which comprises an uncharacterizeddomain ofunknownfunction (DUF3380; pfam11860) in its C terminus and shows a higher specific activity (34,240 U/μM) than that of 14 previously characterized endolysins active against peptidoglycan from Gram-negative bacteria (corresponding to 1.7- to 364-fold higher activity). Gp110 is a modular endolysin with an optimal pH of enzymatic activity of pH 8 and elevated thermal resistance. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) analysis coupled to mass spectrometry showed that DUF3380 hasN-acetylmuramidase (lysozyme) activity cleaving the β-(1,4) glycosidic bond betweenN-acetylmuramic acid andN-acetylglucosamine residues. Gp110 is active against directly cross-linked peptidoglycans with various peptide stem compositions, making it an attractive enzyme for developing novel antimicrobial agents.IMPORTANCEWe report the functional and biochemical characterization of theSalmonellaphage endolysin Gp110. This endolysin has a modular structure with an enzymatically active domain and a cell wall binding domain. The enzymatic activity of this endolysin exceeds that of all other endolysins previously characterized using the same methods. A domain of unknown function (DUF3380) is responsible for this high enzymatic activity. We report that DUF3380 hasN-acetylmuramidase activity against directly cross-linked peptidoglycans with various peptide stem compositions. This experimentally verified activity allows better classification and understanding of the enzymatic activities of endolysins, which mostly are inferred by sequence similarities. Three-dimensional structure predictions for Gp110 suggest a fold that is completely different from that of known structures of enzymes with the same peptidoglycan cleavage specificity, making this endolysin quite unique. All of these features, combined with increased thermal resistance, make Gp110 an attractive candidate for engineering novel endolysin-based antibacterials.


2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marloes I. Hofstee ◽  
Martijn Riool ◽  
Igors Terjajevs ◽  
Keith Thompson ◽  
Martin J. Stoddart ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is a prominent human pathogen in bone and soft-tissue infections. Pathophysiology involves abscess formation, which consists of central staphylococcal abscess communities (SACs), surrounded by a fibrin pseudocapsule and infiltrating immune cells. Protection against the ingress of immune cells such as neutrophils, or tolerance to antibiotics, remains largely unknown for SACs and is limited by the lack of availability of in vitro models. We describe a three-dimensional in vitro model of SACs grown in a human plasma-supplemented collagen gel. The in vitro SACs reached their maximum size by 24 h and elaborated a fibrin pseudocapsule, as confirmed by electron and immunofluorescence microscopy. The in vitro SACs tolerated 100× the MIC of gentamicin alone and in combination with rifampin, while planktonic controls and mechanically dispersed SACs were efficiently killed. To simulate a host response, SACs were exposed to differentiated PLB-985 neutrophil-like (dPLB) cells and to primary human neutrophils at an early stage of SAC formation or after maturation at 24 h. Both cell types were unable to clear mature in vitro SACs, but dPLB cells prevented SAC growth upon early exposure before pseudocapsule maturation. Neutrophil exposure after plasmin pretreatment of the SACs resulted in a significant decrease in the number of bacteria within the SACs. The in vitro SAC model mimics key in vivo features, offers a new tool to study host-pathogen interactions and drug efficacy assessment, and has revealed the functionality of the S. aureus pseudocapsule in protecting the bacteria from host phagocytic responses and antibiotics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellie J. C. Goldstein ◽  
C. Vreni Merriam ◽  
Diane M. Citron

ABSTRACT Tedizolid’s anaerobic activity is unappreciated. In this study, it was active against all 332 anaerobic isolates tested at ≤2 μg/ml except Bilophila wadsworthia and was more active than linezolid against Bacteroides fragilis group species (MIC90, 1 μg/ml versus 2 to 4 μg/ml). Tedizolid was active against Gram-positive anaerobes (MIC90 for clostridia, 0.25 to 1 μg/ml; MIC90 for anaerobic cocci, ≤0.06 to 0.25 μg/ml). Our data coupled with clinical reports indicate that clinicians should consider its use in mixed infections where Staphylococcus aureus and anaerobes are involved.


2015 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 343-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas J. Biedenbach ◽  
Richard A. Alm ◽  
Sushmita D. Lahiri ◽  
Edina Reiszner ◽  
Daryl J. Hoban ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTCeftaroline, the active metabolite of the prodrug ceftaroline-fosamil, is an advanced-generation cephalosporin with activity against methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA). This investigation providesin vitrosusceptibility data for ceftaroline against 1,971S. aureusisolates collected in 2012 from seven countries (26 centers) in the Asia-Pacific region as part of the Assessing Worldwide Antimicrobial Resistance and Evaluation (AWARE) program. Broth microdilution as recommended by the CLSI was used to determine susceptibility. In all, 62% of the isolates studied were MRSA, and the ceftaroline MIC90for allS. aureusisolates was 2 μg/ml (interpretive criteria: susceptible, ≤1 μg/ml). The overall ceftaroline susceptibility rate forS. aureuswas 86.9%, with 100% of methicillin-sensitiveS. aureusisolates and 78.8% of MRSA isolates susceptible to this agent. The highest percentages of ceftaroline-nonsusceptible MRSA isolates came from China (47.6%), all of which showed intermediate susceptibility, and Thailand (37.1%), where over half (52.8%) of isolates were resistant to ceftaroline (MIC, 4 μg/ml). Thirty-eight ceftaroline-nonsusceptible isolates (MIC values of 2 to 4 μg/ml) were selected for molecular characterization. Among the isolates analyzed, sequence type 5 (ST-5) was the most common sequence type encountered; however, all isolates analyzed from Thailand were ST-228. Penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a) substitution patterns varied by country, but all isolates from Thailand had the Glu239Lys substitution, and 12 of these also carried an additional Glu447Lys substitution. Ceftaroline-fosamil is a useful addition to the antimicrobial agents that can be used to treatS. aureusinfections. However, with the capability of this species to develop resistance to new agents, it is important to recognize and monitor regional differences in trends as they emerge.


2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 4547-4550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis D. Saravolatz ◽  
Joan Pawlak ◽  
Stephanie N. Saravolatz ◽  
Leonard B. Johnson

ABSTRACTRetapamulin and six other antimicrobial agents were evaluated against 155 methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) isolates, including strains resistant to vancomycin, linezolid, daptomycin, and mupirocin by microdilution tests. Time-kill assays were performed against representative MRSA, vancomycin-intermediateS. aureus(VISA), and vancomycin-resistantS. aureus(VRSA) isolates. Retapamulin and mupirocin demonstrated MIC90s of 0.12 μg/ml and 8 μg/ml, respectively, with resistance seen in 2.6% and 10% of isolates, respectively. Retapamulin maintained good activity against 94% (15/16) of mupirocin-resistant isolates.


2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian J. Werth ◽  
George Sakoulas ◽  
Warren E. Rose ◽  
Joseph Pogliano ◽  
Ryan Tewhey ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTNew antimicrobial agents and novel combination therapies are needed to treat serious infections caused by methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) with reduced susceptibility to daptomycin and vancomycin. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the combination of ceftaroline plus daptomycin or vancomycin in anin vitropharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model. Simulations of ceftaroline-fosamil at 600 mg per kg of body weight every 8 h (q8h) (maximum free-drug concentration in serum [fCmax], 15.2 mg/liter; half-life [t1/2], 2.3 h), daptomycin at 10 mg/kg/day (fCmax, 11.3 mg/liter;t1/2, 8 h), vancomycin at 2 g q12h (fCmax, 30 mg/liter;t1/2, 6 h), ceftaroline plus daptomycin, and ceftaroline plus vancomycin were evaluated against a clinical, isogenic MRSA strain pair: D592 (daptomycin susceptible and heterogeneous vancomycin intermediate) and D712 (daptomycin nonsusceptible and vancomycin intermediate) in a one-compartmentin vitropharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model over 96 h. Therapeutic enhancement of combinations was defined as ≥2 log10CFU/ml reduction over the most active single agent. The effect of ceftaroline on the membrane charge, cell wall thickness, susceptibility to killing by the human cathelicidin LL37, and daptomycin binding were evaluated. Therapeutic enhancement was observed with daptomycin plus ceftaroline in both strains and vancomycin plus ceftaroline against D592. Ceftaroline exposure enhanced daptomycin-induced depolarization (81.7% versus 72.3%;P= 0.03) and killing by cathelicidin LL37 (P< 0.01) and reduced cell wall thickness (P< 0.001). Fluorescence-labeled daptomycin was bound over 7-fold more in ceftaroline-exposed cells. Whole-genome sequencing and mutation analysis of these strains indicated that change in daptomycin susceptibility is related to anfmtC(mprF) mutation. The combination of daptomycin plus ceftaroline appears to be potent, with rapid and sustained bactericidal activity against both daptomycin-susceptible and -nonsusceptible strains of MRSA.


mSystems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rocío Aguilar Suárez ◽  
Minia Antelo-Varela ◽  
Sandra Maaß ◽  
Jolanda Neef ◽  
Dörte Becher ◽  
...  

Our present study showcases a genome-minimized nonpathogenic bacterium, the so-called midi Bacillus , as a chassis for the development of future industrial strains that serve in the production of high-value difficult-to-produce proteins. In particular, we explain how midi Bacillus , which lacks about one-third of the original genome, effectively secretes a protein of the major human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus that cannot be produced by the parental Bacillus subtilis strain.


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