scholarly journals Biofilms harbour Clostridioides difficile, serving as a reservoir for recurrent infection

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charmaine Normington ◽  
Ines B. Moura ◽  
Jessica A. Bryant ◽  
Duncan J. Ewin ◽  
Emma V. Clark ◽  
...  

AbstractC. difficile infection (CDI) is a worldwide healthcare problem with ~30% of cases failing primary therapy, placing a burden on healthcare systems and increasing patient morbidity. We have little understanding of why these therapies fail. Here, we use a clinically validated in vitro gut model to assess the contribution of biofilms towards recurrent disease and to investigate biofilm microbiota-C. difficile interactions. Initial experiments show that C. difficile cells became associated with the colonic biofilm microbiota and are not depleted by vancomycin or faecal microbiota transplant therapies. We observe that transferring biofilm encased C. difficile cells into a C. difficile naïve but CDI susceptible model induces CDI. Members of the biofilm community can impact C. difficile biofilm formation by acting either antagonistically or synergistically. We highlight the importance of biofilms as a reservoir for C. difficile, which can be a cause for recurrent infections.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross Slater ◽  
Lucy Frost ◽  
Sian Jossi ◽  
Andrew Millard ◽  
Meera Unnikrishnan

AbstractThe anaerobic gut pathogen,Clostridioides difficile, forms adherent biofilms that may play an important role in recurrentC. difficileinfections. The mechanisms underlyingC. difficilecommunity formation and inter-bacterial interactions are nevertheless poorly understood.C. difficileproduces AI-2, a quorum sensing molecule that modulates biofilm formation across many bacterial species. We found that a strain defective in LuxS, the enzyme that mediates AI-2 production, is defective in biofilm developmentin vitro. Transcriptomic analyses of biofilms formed by wild type (WT) andluxSmutant (luxS) strains revealed a downregulation of prophage loci in theluxSmutant biofilms compared to the WT. Detection of phages and eDNA within biofilms may suggest that DNA release by phage-mediated cell lysis contributes toC. difficilebiofilm formation. In order to understand if LuxS mediatesC. difficilecrosstalk with other gut species,C. difficileinteractions with a common gut bacterium,Bacteroides fragilis, were studied. We demonstrate thatC. difficilegrowth is significantly reduced when co-cultured withB. fragilisin mixed biofilms. Interestingly, the absence ofC. difficileLuxS alleviates theB. fragilismediated growth inhibition. Dual species RNA-sequencing analyses from single and mixed biofilms revealed differential modulation of distinct metabolic pathways forC. difficileWT,luxSandB. fragilisupon co-culture, indicating that AI-2 may be involved in induction of selective metabolic responses inB. fragilis. Overall, our data suggest thatC. difficileLuxS/AI-2 utilises different mechanisms to mediate formation of single and mixed species communities.


Microbiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 167 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Kamrul Hasan ◽  
Babita Adhikari Dhungel ◽  
Revathi Govind

Cellobiose metabolism is linked to the virulence properties in numerous bacterial pathogens. Here, we characterized a putative cellobiose PTS operon of Clostridiodes difficile to investigate the role of cellobiose metabolism in C. difficile pathogenesis. Our gene knockout experiments demonstrated that the putative cellobiose operon enables uptake of cellobiose into C. difficile and allows growth when cellobiose is provided as the sole carbon source in minimal medium. Additionally, using reporter gene fusion assays and DNA pulldown experiments, we show that its transcription is regulated by CelR, a novel transcriptional repressor protein, which directly binds to the upstream region of the cellobiose operon to control its expression. We have also identified cellobiose metabolism to play a significant role in C. difficile physiology as observed by the reduction of sporulation efficiency when cellobiose uptake was compromised in the mutant strain. In corroboration to in vitro study findings, our in vivo hamster challenge experiment showed a significant reduction of pathogenicity by the cellobiose mutant strain in both the primary and the recurrent infection model – substantiating the role of cellobiose metabolism in C. difficile pathogenesis.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (7) ◽  
pp. 3808-3815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urszula Wnorowska ◽  
Katarzyna Niemirowicz ◽  
Melissa Myint ◽  
Scott L. Diamond ◽  
Marta Wróblewska ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTPseudomonas aeruginosaLiverpool epidemic strain (LES) infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are associated with transmissibility and increased patient morbidity. This study was designed to assess thein vitroactivities of cathelicidin LL-37 peptide (LL-37) and select cationic lipids againstPseudomonas aeruginosaLESB58 in CF sputum and in a setting mimicking the CF airway. We found that LL-37 naturally present in airway surface fluid and some nonpeptide cationic lipid molecules such as CSA-13, CSA-90, CSA-131, and D2S have significant, but broadly differing, bactericidal activities againstP. aeruginosaLESB58. We observed strong inhibition of LL-37 bactericidal activity in the presence of purified bacteriophage Pf1, which is highly expressed byP. aeruginosaLES, but the activities of the cationic lipids CSA-13 and CSA-131 were not affected by this polyanionic virus. Additionally, CSA-13 and CSA-131 effectively prevent LESB58 biofilm formation, which is stimulated by Pf1 bacteriophage, DNA, or F-actin. CSA-13 and CSA-131 display strong antibacterial activities against different clinical strains ofP. aeruginosa, and their activities againstP. aeruginosaLESB58 and Xen5 strains were maintained in CF sputum. These data indicate that synthetic cationic lipids (mimics of natural antimicrobial peptides) are suitable for developing an effective treatment against CF lungP. aeruginosainfections, including those caused by LES strains.


Author(s):  
Baydaa Hussein ◽  
Zainab A. Aldhaher ◽  
Shahrazad Najem Abdu-Allah ◽  
Adel Hamdan

Background: Biofilm is a bacterial way of life prevalent in the world of microbes; in addition to that it is a source of alarm in the field of health concern. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a pathogenic bacterium responsible for all opportunistic infections such as chronic and severe. Aim of this study: This paper aims to provide an overview of the promotion of isolates to produce a biofilm in vitro under special circumstances, to expose certain antibiotics to produce phenotypic evaluation of biofilm bacteria. Methods and Materials: Three diverse ways were used to inhibited biofilm formation of P.aeruginosa by effect of phenolic compounds extracts from strawberries. Isolates produced biofilm on agar MacConkey under certain circumstances. Results: The results showed that all isolates were resistant to antibiotics except sensitive to azithromycin (AZM, 15μg), and in this study was conducted on three ways to detect the biofilm produced, has been detected by the biofilm like Tissue culture plate (TCP), Tube method (TM), Congo Red Agar (CRA). These methods gave a clear result of these isolates under study. Active compounds were analyzed in both extracts by Gas Chromatography-mass Spectrometry which indicate High molecular weight compound with a long hydrocarbon chain. Conclusion: Phenolic compounds could behave as bioactive material and can be useful to be used in pharmaceutical synthesis. Phenolic contents which found in leaves and fruits extracts of strawberries shows antibacterial activity against all strains tested by the ability to reduce the production of biofilm formation rate.


2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa H. Miceli ◽  
Stella M. Bernardo ◽  
T. S. Neil Ku ◽  
Carla Walraven ◽  
Samuel A. Lee

ABSTRACTInfections and thromboses are the most common complications associated with central venous catheters. Suggested strategies for prevention and management of these complications include the use of heparin-coated catheters, heparin locks, and antimicrobial lock therapy. However, the effects of heparin onCandida albicansbiofilms and planktonic cells have not been previously studied. Therefore, we sought to determine thein vitroeffect of a heparin sodium preparation (HP) on biofilms and planktonic cells ofC. albicans. Because HP contains two preservatives, methyl paraben (MP) and propyl paraben (PP), these compounds and heparin sodium without preservatives (Pure-H) were also tested individually. The metabolic activity of the mature biofilm after treatment was assessed using XTT [2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide] reduction and microscopy. Pure-H, MP, and PP caused up to 75, 85, and 60% reductions of metabolic activity of the mature preformedC. albicansbiofilms, respectively. Maximal efficacy against the mature biofilm was observed with HP (up to 90%) compared to the individual compounds (P< 0.0001). Pure-H, MP, and PP each inhibitedC. albicansbiofilm formation up to 90%. A complete inhibition of biofilm formation was observed with HP at 5,000 U/ml and higher. When tested against planktonic cells, each compound inhibited growth in a dose-dependent manner. These data indicated that HP, MP, PP, and Pure-H havein vitroantifungal activity againstC. albicansmature biofilms, formation of biofilms, and planktonic cells. Investigation of high-dose heparin-based strategies (e.g., heparin locks) in combination with traditional antifungal agents for the treatment and/or prevention ofC. albicansbiofilms is warranted.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Angelo P. Roxas ◽  
Jennifer Lising Roxas ◽  
Rachel Claus-Walker ◽  
Anusha Harishankar ◽  
Asad Mansoor ◽  
...  

AbstractClostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a major healthcare-associated diarrheal disease. Consistent with trends across the United States, C. difficile RT106 was the second-most prevalent molecular type in our surveillance in Arizona from 2015 to 2018. A representative RT106 strain displayed robust virulence and 100% lethality in the hamster model of acute CDI. We identified a unique 46 KB genomic island (GI1) in all RT106 strains sequenced to date, including those in public databases. GI1 was not found in its entirety in any other C. difficile clade, or indeed, in any other microbial genome; however, smaller segments were detected in Enterococcus faecium strains. Molecular clock analyses suggested that GI1 was horizontally acquired and sequentially assembled over time. GI1 encodes homologs of VanZ and a SrtB-anchored collagen-binding adhesin, and correspondingly, all tested RT106 strains had increased teicoplanin resistance, and a majority displayed collagen-dependent biofilm formation. Two additional genomic islands (GI2 and GI3) were also present in a subset of RT106 strains. All three islands are predicted to encode mobile genetic elements as well as virulence factors. Emergent phenotypes associated with these genetic islands may have contributed to the relatively rapid expansion of RT106 in US healthcare and community settings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Nevena Lj. Stevanović ◽  
Ivana Aleksic ◽  
Jakob Kljun ◽  
Sanja Skaro Bogojevic ◽  
Aleksandar Veselinovic ◽  
...  

Copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes with clinically used antifungal drug fluconazole (fcz), {[CuCl2(fcz)2].5H2O}n, 1, and {[ZnCl2(fcz)2]·2C2H5OH}n, 2, were prepared and characterized by spectroscopic and crystallographic methods. The polymeric structure of the complexes comprises four fluconazole molecules monodentately coordinated via the triazole nitrogen and two chlorido ligands. With respect to fluconazole, complex 2 showed significantly higher antifungal activity against Candida krusei and Candida parapsilosis. All tested compounds reduced the total amount of ergosterol at subinhibitory concentrations, indicating that the mode of activity of fluconazole was retained within the complexes, which was corroborated via molecular docking with cytochrome P450 sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) as a target. Electrostatic, steric and internal energy interactions between the complexes and enzyme showed that 2 has higher binding potency to this target. Both complexes showed strong inhibition of C. albicans filamentation and biofilm formation at subinhibitory concentrations, with 2 being able to reduce the adherence of C. albicans to A549 cells in vitro. Complex 2 was able to reduce pyocyanin production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa between 10% and 25% and to inhibit its biofilm formation by 20% in comparison to the untreated control. These results suggest that complex 2 may be further examined in the mixed Candida-P. aeruginosa infections.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 927
Author(s):  
Louise Kristine Vigsnaes ◽  
Jonas Ghyselinck ◽  
Pieter Van den Van den Abbeele ◽  
Bruce McConnell ◽  
Frédéric Moens ◽  
...  

Clostridioides difficile (formerly Clostridium difficile) infection (CDI) is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections, which is often triggered by a dysbiosed indigenous gut microbiota (e.g., upon antibiotic therapy). Symptoms can be as severe as life-threatening colitis. The current study assessed the antipathogenic potential of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), i.e., 2′-O-fucosyllactose (2′FL), lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT), and a combination thereof (MIX), against C. difficile ATCC 9689 using in vitro gut models that allowed the evaluation of both direct and, upon microbiota modulation, indirect effects. During a first 48 h fecal batch study, dysbiosis and CDI were induced by dilution of the fecal inoculum. For each of the three donors tested, C. difficile levels strongly decreased (with >4 log CFU/mL) upon treatment with 2′FL, LNnT and MIX versus untreated blanks, coinciding with increased acetate/Bifidobacteriaceae levels. Interindividual differences among donors at an intermediate time point suggested that the antimicrobial effect was microbiota-mediated rather than being a direct effect of the HMOs. During a subsequent 11 week study with the PathogutTM model (specific application of the Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME®)), dysbiosis and CDI were induced by clindamycin (CLI) treatment. Vancomycin (VNC) treatment cured CDI, but the further dysbiosis of the indigenous microbiota likely contributed to CDI recurrence. Upon co-supplementation with VNC, both 2′FL and MIX boosted microbial activity (acetate and to lesser extent propionate/butyrate). Moreover, 2′FL avoided CDI recurrence, potentially because of increased secondary bile acid production. Overall, while not elucidating the exact antipathogenic mechanisms-of-action, the current study highlights the potential of HMOs to combat CDI recurrence, help the gut microbial community recover after antibiotic treatment, and hence counteract the adverse effects of antibiotic therapies.


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