Killing of Staphylococcus aureus via Magnetic Hyperthermia Mediated by Magnetotactic Bacteria
ABSTRACTStaphylococcus aureusis a common hospital and household pathogen. Given the emergence of antibiotic-resistant derivatives of this pathogen resulting from the use of antibiotics as general treatment, development of alternative therapeutic strategies is urgently needed. Here, we assess the feasibility of killingS. aureuscellsin vitroandin vivothrough magnetic hyperthermia mediated by magnetotactic bacteria that possess magnetic nanocrystals and demonstrate magnetically steered swimming. TheS. aureussuspension was added to magnetotactic MO-1 bacteria either directly or after coating with anti-MO-1 polyclonal antibodies. The suspensions were then subjected to an alternating magnetic field (AMF) for 1 h.S. aureusviability was subsequently assessed through conventional plate counting and flow cytometry. We found that approximately 30% of theS. aureuscells mixed with uncoated MO-1 cells were killed after AMF treatment. Moreover, attachment between the magnetotactic bacteria andS. aureusincreased the killing efficiency of hyperthermia to more than 50%. Using mouse models, we demonstrated that magnetic hyperthermia mediated by antibody-coated magnetotactic MO-1 bacteria significantly improved wound healing. These results collectively demonstrated the effective eradication ofS. aureusbothin vitroandin vivo, indicating the potential of magnetotactic bacterium-mediated magnetic hyperthermia as a treatment forS. aureus-induced skin or wound infections.