scholarly journals Evaluation of Anti-Bacterial Drugs Using Silkworms Infected by Cutibacterium Acnes

Author(s):  
Yasuhiko Matsumoto ◽  
Yuki Tateyama ◽  
Takashi Sugita

Abstract Objective: Cutibacterium acnes is a causative agent of inflammatory skin diseases and systemic infections. Systemic infections caused by C. acnes are difficult to treat, and the development of a systemic infection model for C. acnes would be useful for elucidating the mechanisms of infection and searching for therapeutic agents. In this study, we established a silkworm infection model as a new experimental system to evaluate the interaction between C. acnes and the host, and the efficacy of antibacterial drugs.Results: Silkworms infected with C. acnes died when reared at 37˚C. The dose of injected bacterial cells required to kill half of the silkworms (LD50) was determined under rearing conditions at 37˚C. Silkworms injected with autoclaved C. acnes cells did not die during the study period. The survival time of silkworms injected with C. acnes was prolonged by the injection of antibacterial drugs such as tetracycline and clindamycin. These findings suggest that the silkworm C. acnes infection model can be used to evaluate host toxicity caused by C. acnes and the in vivo efficacy of antimicrobial drugs.

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 619
Author(s):  
Yasuhiko Matsumoto ◽  
Yuki Tateyama ◽  
Takashi Sugita

Cutibacterium acnes is a causative agent of inflammatory skin diseases and systemic infections. Systemic infections caused by C. acnes are difficult to treat, and the development of a systemic infection model for C. acnes would be useful for elucidating the mechanisms of infection and searching for therapeutic agents. In this study, we established a silkworm infection model as a new experimental system to evaluate the interaction between C. acnes and the host, and the efficacy of antibacterial drugs. Silkworms infected with C. acnes died when reared at 37 °C. The dose of injected bacterial cells required to kill half of the silkworms (LD50) was determined under rearing conditions at 37 °C. The viable cell number of C. acnes was increased in the hemolymph and fat body of the infected silkworms. Silkworms injected with autoclaved C. acnes cells did not die during the study period. The survival time of silkworms injected with C. acnes was prolonged by the injection of antibacterial drugs such as tetracycline and clindamycin. These findings suggest that the silkworm C. acnes infection model can be used to evaluate host toxicity caused by C. acnes and the in vivo efficacy of antimicrobial drugs.


Author(s):  
Lize Delanghe ◽  
Irina Spacova ◽  
Joke Van Malderen ◽  
Eline Oerlemans ◽  
Ingmar Claes ◽  
...  

The human skin microbiota forms a key barrier against skin pathogens and is important in modulating immune responses. Recent studies identify lactobacilli as endogenous inhabitants of healthy skin, while inflammatory skin conditions are often associated with a disturbed skin microbiome. Consequently, lactobacilli-based probiotics are explored as a novel treatment of inflammatory skin conditions through their topical skin application. This review focuses on the potential beneficial role of lactobacilli (family Lactobacillaceae) in the skin habitat, where they can exert multifactorial local mechanisms of action against pathogens and inflammation. On one hand, lactobacilli have been shown to directly compete with skin pathogens through adhesion inhibition, production of antimicrobial metabolites, and by influencing pathogen metabolism. The competitive anti-pathogenic action of lactobacilli has already been described mechanistically for common different skin pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Cutibacterium acnes, and Candida albicans. On the other hand, lactobacilli also have an immunomodulatory capacity associated with a reduction in excessive skin inflammation. Their influence on the immune system is mediated by bacterial metabolites and cell wall-associated or excreted microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs). In addition, lactobacilli can also enhance the skin barrier function, which is often disrupted as a result of infection or in inflammatory skin diseases. Some clinical trials have already translated these mechanistic insights into beneficial clinical outcomes, showing that topically applied lactobacilli can temporarily colonize the skin and promote skin health, but more and larger clinical trials are required to generate in vivo mechanistic insights and in-depth skin microbiome analysis.


2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 3239-3250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsufumi Koga ◽  
Tomomi Abe ◽  
Harumi Inoue ◽  
Takashi Takenouchi ◽  
Akiko Kitayama ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT CS-023 (RO4908463, formerly R-115685) is a novel 1β-methylcarbapenem with 5-substituted pyrrolidin-3-ylthio groups, including an amidine moiety at the C-2 position. Its antibacterial activity was tested against 1,214 clinical isolates of 32 species and was compared with those of imipenem, meropenem, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, ampicillin, amikacin, and levofloxacin. CS-023 exhibited a broad spectrum of activity against gram-positive and -negative aerobes and anaerobes, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis, penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRSP), β-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant Haemophilus influenzae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. CS-023 showed the most potent activity among the compounds tested against P. aeruginosa and MRSA, with MICs at which 90% of isolates tested were inhibited of 4 μg/ml and 8 μg/ml, respectively. CS-023 was stable against hydrolysis by the β-lactamases from Enterobacter cloacae and Proteus vulgaris. CS-023 also showed potent activity against extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli. The in vivo efficacy of CS-023 was evaluated with a murine systemic infection model induced by 13 strains of gram-positive and -negative pathogens and a lung infection model induced by 2 strains of PRSP (serotypes 6 and 19). Against the systemic infections with PRSP, MRSA, and P. aeruginosa and the lung infections, the efficacy of CS-023 was comparable to those of imipenem/cilastatin and vancomycin (tested against lung infections only) and superior to those of meropenem, ceftriaxone, and ceftazidime (tested against P. aeruginosa infections only). These results suggest that CS-023 has potential for the treatment of nosocomial bacterial infections by gram-positive and -negative pathogens, including MRSA and P. aeruginosa.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Dunker ◽  
Melanie Polke ◽  
Bianca Schulze-Richter ◽  
Katja Schubert ◽  
Sven Rudolphi ◽  
...  

AbstractThe ability of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans to undergo a yeast-to-hypha transition is believed to be a key virulence factor, as filaments mediate tissue damage. Here, we show that virulence is not necessarily reduced in filament-deficient strains, and the results depend on the infection model used. We generate a filament-deficient strain by deletion or repression of EED1 (known to be required for maintenance of hyphal growth). Consistent with previous studies, the strain is attenuated in damaging epithelial cells and macrophages in vitro and in a mouse model of intraperitoneal infection. However, in a mouse model of systemic infection, the strain is as virulent as the wild type when mice are challenged with intermediate infectious doses, and even more virulent when using low infectious doses. Retained virulence is associated with rapid yeast proliferation, likely the result of metabolic adaptation and improved fitness, leading to high organ fungal loads. Analyses of cytokine responses in vitro and in vivo, as well as systemic infections in immunosuppressed mice, suggest that differences in immunopathology contribute to some extent to retained virulence of the filament-deficient mutant. Our findings challenge the long-standing hypothesis that hyphae are essential for pathogenesis of systemic candidiasis by C. albicans.


2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan E. Eldesouky ◽  
Abdelrahman Mayhoub ◽  
Tony R. Hazbun ◽  
Mohamed N. Seleem

ABSTRACTInvasive candidiasis presents an emerging global public health challenge due to the emergence of resistance to the frontline treatment options, such as fluconazole. Hence, the identification of other compounds capable of pairing with fluconazole and averting azole resistance would potentially prolong the clinical utility of this important group. In an effort to repurpose drugs in the field of antifungal drug discovery, we explored sulfa antibacterial drugs for the purpose of reversing azole resistance inCandida. In this study, we assembled and investigated a library of 21 sulfa antibacterial drugs for their ability to restore fluconazole sensitivity inCandida albicans. Surprisingly, the majority of assayed sulfa drugs (15 of 21) were found to exhibit synergistic relationships with fluconazole by checkerboard assay with fractional inhibitory concentration index (ΣFIC) values ranging from <0.0312 to 0.25. Remarkably, five sulfa drugs were able to reverse azole resistance in a clinically achievable range. The structure-activity relationships (SARs) of the amino benzene sulfonamide scaffold as antifungal agents were studied. We also identified the possible mechanism of the synergistic interaction of sulfa antibacterial drugs with azole antifungal drugs. Furthermore, the ability of sulfa antibacterial drugs to inhibitCandidabiofilm by 40%in vitrowas confirmed. In addition, the effects of sulfa-fluconazole combinations onCandidagrowth kinetics and efflux machinery were explored. Finally, using aCaenorhabditis elegansinfection model, we demonstrated that the sulfa-fluconazole combination does possess potent antifungal activityin vivo, reducingCandidain infected worms by ∼50% compared to the control.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S418-S418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akinobu Ito ◽  
Merime Ota ◽  
Rio Nakamura ◽  
Masakatsu Tsuji ◽  
Takafumi Sato ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cefiderocol (S-649266, CFDC) is a novel siderophore cephalosporin against Gram-negatives, including carbapenem (CR)-resistant strains. Its spectrum includes both the Enterobacteriaceae but also nonfermenters, including Stenotrophomonas maltophilia—an opportunistic pathogen with intrinsic resistance to carbapenem antibiotics. In this study, in vitro activity and in vivo efficacy of CFDC and comparators against S. maltophilia were determined. Methods MICs of CFDC and comparators (trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX), minocycline (MINO), tigecycline (TGC), ciprofloxacin (CPFX), cefepime (CFPM), meropenem (MEPM), and colistin (CL)) were determined by broth microdilution method as recommended by CLSI. The MIC against CFDC was determined using iron-depleted cation-adjusted Mueller–Hinton broth. In vivo efficacy of CFDC, CFPM, ceftazidime–avibactam (CAZ/AVI), MEPM, and CL was evaluated using neutropenic murine systemic infection model caused by strain SR21970. The 50% effective doses (ED50s) were calculated by the logit method using the survival number at each dose 7 days after infection. Results MIC90 of CFDC and comparators against the 216 clinical isolates from global countries collected in SIDERO-CR 2014/2016 study are shown in the table. CFDC, TMP/SMX, MINO, and TGC showed good activity with MIC90 of 0.5, 0.25/4.75, 1, and 2 µg/mL, respectively. CFDC, MINO, and TGC inhibited growth of all tested strains at ≤1, ≤4, and ≤8 µg/mL although two strains showed resistance to TMP/SMX. MICs of CFPM, CAZ/AVI, MEPM, and CL were ≥32 µg/mL. The ED50 of CFDC against S. maltophilia SR21970 with MIC of 0.125 mg/mL was 1.17 mg/kg/dose. Conversely, MICs of CFPM, CAZ/AVI, MEPM/CS, and CL against SR21970 were 32 μg/mL or higher, and ED50s were &gt;100 mg/kg/dose, showing that CFDC had potent in vivo efficacy against S. maltophilia strain which was resistant to other antibiotics. Conclusion CFDC showed potent in vitro activity against S. maltophilia, including TMP/SMX-resistant isolates. CFDC also showed potent in vivo efficacy reflecting in vitro activity against S. maltophilia in murine systemic infection model. Disclosures A. Ito, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: Employee, Salary. M. Ota, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: Employee, Salary. R. Nakamura, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: Employee, Salary. M. Tsuji, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: Employee, Salary. T. Sato, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: Employee, Salary. Y. Yamano, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: Employee, Salary.


Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Wang ◽  
Xinyu Ji ◽  
Qiupeng Li ◽  
Guanling Zhang ◽  
Jiani Peng ◽  
...  

New strategies against antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens are urgently needed but are not within reach. Here, we present in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activity of TSPphg, a novel phage lysin identified from extremophilic Thermus phage TSP4 by sequencing its whole genome. By breaking down the bacterial cells, TSPphg is able to cause bacteria destruction and has shown bactericidal activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria, especially antibiotic-resistant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, in which the complete elimination and highest reduction in bacterial counts by greater than 6 logs were observed upon 50 μg/mL TSPphg treatment at 37 °C for 1 h. A murine skin infection model further confirmed the in vivo efficacy of TSPphg in removing a highly dangerous and multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from skin damage and in accelerating wound closure. Together, our findings may offer a therapeutic alternative to help fight bacterial infections in the current age of mounting antibiotic resistance, and to shed light on bacteriophage-based strategies to develop novel anti-infectives.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Billel Benmimoun ◽  
Florentia Papastefanaki ◽  
Bruno Périchon ◽  
Katerina Segklia ◽  
Nicolas Roby ◽  
...  

AbstractPathogens able to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) induce long-term neurological sequelae and death. Understanding how neurotropic pathogens bypass this strong physiological barrier is a prerequisite to devise therapeutic strategies. Here we propose an innovative model of infection in the developing Drosophila brain, combining whole brain explants with in vivo systemic infection. We find that several mammalian pathogens are able to cross the Drosophila BBB, including Group B Streptococcus (GBS). Amongst GBS surface components, lipoproteins, and in particular the B leucine-rich Blr, are important for BBB crossing and virulence in Drosophila. Further, we identify (V)LDL receptor LpR2, expressed in the BBB, as a host receptor for Blr, allowing GBS translocation through endocytosis. Finally, we show that Blr is required for BBB crossing and pathogenicity in a murine model of infection. Our results demonstrate the potential of Drosophila for studying BBB crossing by pathogens and identify a new mechanism by which pathogens exploit the machinery of host barriers to generate brain infection.


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