scholarly journals Bacteriophages as an Alternative Method for Control of Zoonotic and Foodborne Pathogens

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2348
Author(s):  
Mohammed Mijbas Mohammed Alomari ◽  
Marta Dec ◽  
Renata Urban-Chmiel

The global increase in multidrug-resistant infections caused by various pathogens has raised concerns in human and veterinary medicine. This has renewed interest in the development of alternative methods to antibiotics, including the use of bacteriophages for controlling bacterial infections. The aim of this review is to present potential uses of bacteriophages as an alternative to antibiotics in the control of bacterial infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria posing a risk to humans, with particular emphasis on foodborne and zoonotic pathogens. A varied therapeutic and immunomodulatory (activation or suppression) effect of bacteriophages on humoral and cellular immune response mechanisms has been demonstrated. The antibiotic resistance crisis caused by global antimicrobial resistance among bacteria creates a compelling need for alternative safe and selectively effective antibacterial agents. Bacteriophages have many properties indicating their potential suitability as therapeutic and/or prophylactic agents. In many cases, bacteriophages can also be used in food quality control against microorganisms such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Listeria, Campylobacter and others. Future research will provide potential alternative solutions using bacteriophages to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Author(s):  
Johanna M. Vanegas ◽  
Lorena Salazar-Ospina ◽  
Gustavo A. Roncancio ◽  
Julián Builes ◽  
Judy Natalia Jiménez

ABSTRACT The emergence of resistance mechanisms not only limits the therapeutic options for common bacterial infections but also worsens the prognosis in patients who have conditions that increase the risk of bacterial infections. Thus, the effectiveness of important medical advances that seek to improve the quality of life of patients with chronic diseases is threatened. We report the simultaneous colonization and bacteremia by multidrug-resistant bacteria in two hemodialysis patients. The first patient was colonized by carbapenem- and colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The patient had a bacteremia by MRSA, and molecular typing methods confirmed the colonizing isolate was the same strain that caused infection. The second case is of a patient colonized by extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. During the follow-up period, the patient presented three episodes of bacteremia, one of these caused by ESBL-producing E. coli. Molecular methods confirmed colonization by the same clone of ESBL-producing E. coli at two time points, but with a different genetic pattern to the strain isolated from the blood culture. Colonization by multidrug-resistant bacteria allows not only the spread of these microorganisms, but also increases the subsequent risk of infections with limited treatments options. In addition to infection control measures, it is important to establish policies for the prudent use of antibiotics in dialysis units.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Simons ◽  
Kamel Alhanout ◽  
Raphaël E. Duval

Currently, the emergence and ongoing dissemination of antimicrobial resistance among bacteria are critical health and economic issue, leading to increased rates of morbidity and mortality related to bacterial infections. Research and development for new antimicrobial agents is currently needed to overcome this problem. Among the different approaches studied, bacteriocins seem to be a promising possibility. These molecules are peptides naturally synthesized by ribosomes, produced by both Gram-positive bacteria (GPB) and Gram-negative bacteria (GNB), which will allow these bacteriocin producers to survive in highly competitive polymicrobial environment. Bacteriocins exhibit antimicrobial activity with variable spectrum depending on the peptide, which may target several bacteria. Already used in some areas such as agro-food, bacteriocins may be considered as interesting candidates for further development as antimicrobial agents used in health contexts, particularly considering the issue of antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this review is to present an updated global report on the biology of bacteriocins produced by GPB and GNB, as well as their antibacterial activity against relevant bacterial pathogens, and especially against multidrug-resistant bacteria.


Nanoscale ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (37) ◽  
pp. 19149-19158
Author(s):  
Jouharsha Afthab ◽  
Nafeesa Khatoon ◽  
Lulu Zhou ◽  
Tianming Yao ◽  
Shuo Shi

A silver nanoformulation for combating bacterial infections and its integration in Boolean analysis for the detection of multiple bacteria has been developed.


Antibiotics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caio Barros ◽  
Stephanie Fulaz ◽  
Danijela Stanisic ◽  
Ljubica Tasic

Multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) are extremely dangerous and bring a serious threat to health care systems as they can survive an attack from almost any drug. The bacteria’s adaptive way of living with the use of antimicrobials and antibiotics caused them to modify and prevail in hostile conditions by creating resistance to known antibiotics or their combinations. The emergence of nanomaterials as new antimicrobials introduces a new paradigm for antibiotic use in various fields. For example, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the oldest nanomaterial used for bactericide and bacteriostatic purposes. However, for just a few decades these have been produced in a biogenic or bio-based fashion. This review brings the latest reports on biogenic AgNPs in the combat against MDRB. Some antimicrobial mechanisms and possible silver resistance traits acquired by bacteria are also presented. Hopefully, novel AgNPs-containing products might be designed against MDR bacterial infections.


Author(s):  
Meinolf Ebbers ◽  
Christoph J. Hemmer ◽  
Brigitte Müller-Hilke ◽  
Emil C. Reisinger

SummaryDue to the overuse of antibiotics, infections, in particular those caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria, are becoming more and more frequent. Despite the worldwide introduction of antibiotic therapy, vaccines and constant improvements in hygiene, the burden of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections is increasing and is expected to rise in the future. The development of monoclonal therapeutic antibodies and specific immunomodulatory drugs represent new treatment options in the fight against infectious diseases. This article provides a brief overview of recent advances in immunomodulatory therapy and other strategies in the treatment of infectious disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 112
Author(s):  
Lingchao Xiang ◽  
Ozioma Udochukwu Akakuru ◽  
Chen Xu ◽  
Aiguo Wu

Infections caused by pathogenic bacteria, especially multidrug-resistant bacteria, have become a serious worldwide public health problem. Early diagnosis and treatment can effectively prevent the adverse effects of such infections. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop effective methods for the early detection, prevention, and treatment of diseases that are caused by bacterial infections. So far, magnetic material nanoparticles (MNPs) have been widely used in the detection and treatment of bacterial infections as detection agents and therapeutics. Therefore, this review describes the recent research on MNPs in bacterial detection and treatment. Finally, a brief discussion of challenges and perspectives in this field is provided, which is expected to guide the further development of MNPs for bacterial detection and treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (23) ◽  
pp. 12719
Author(s):  
Kazuo Takayama ◽  
Alberto Tuñón-Molina ◽  
Alba Cano-Vicent ◽  
Yukiko Muramoto ◽  
Takeshi Noda ◽  
...  

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic is demanding the rapid action of the authorities and scientific community in order to find new antimicrobial solutions that could inactivate the pathogen SARS-CoV-2 that causes this disease. Gram-positive bacteria contribute to severe pneumonia associated with COVID-19, and their resistance to antibiotics is exponentially increasing. In this regard, non-woven fabrics are currently used for the fabrication of infection prevention clothing such as face masks, caps, scrubs, shirts, trousers, disposable gowns, overalls, hoods, aprons and shoe covers as protective tools against viral and bacterial infections. However, these non-woven fabrics are made of materials that do not exhibit intrinsic antimicrobial activity. Thus, we have here developed non-woven fabrics with antimicrobial coatings of cranberry extracts capable of inactivating enveloped viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and the bacteriophage phi 6 (about 99% of viral inactivation in 1 min of viral contact), and two multidrug-resistant bacteria: the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. The morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of the produced filters were characterized by optical and electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The non-toxicity of these advanced technologies was ensured using a Caenorhabditis elegans in vivo model. These results open up a new prevention path using natural and biodegradable compounds for the fabrication of infection prevention clothing in the current COVID-19 pandemic and microbial resistant era.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 890-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Vivas ◽  
Ana Andréa Teixeira Barbosa ◽  
Silvio Santana Dolabela ◽  
Sona Jain

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn M. Zimmerman ◽  
Audrey-Ann J. Lafontaine ◽  
Carmen M. Herrera ◽  
Amanda B. Mclean ◽  
M. Stephen Trent

ABSTRACT The threat of diminished antibiotic discovery has global health care in crisis. In the United States, it is estimated each year that over 2 million bacterial infections are resistant to first-line antibiotic treatments and cost in excess of 20 billion dollars. Many of these cases result from infection with the ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species), which are multidrug-resistant bacteria that often cause community- and hospital-acquired infections in both healthy and immunocompromised patients. Physicians have turned to last-resort antibiotics like polymyxins to tackle these pathogens, and as a consequence, polymyxin resistance has emerged and is spreading. Barring the discovery of new antibiotics, another route to successfully mitigate polymyxin resistance is to identify compounds that can complement the existing arsenal of antibiotics. We recently designed and performed a large-scale robotic screen to identify 43 bioactive compounds that act synergistically with polymyxin B to inhibit the growth of polymyxin-resistant Escherichia coli. Of these 43 compounds, 5 lead compounds were identified and characterized using various Gram-negative bacterial organisms to better assess their synergistic activity with polymyxin. Several of these compounds reduce polymyxin to an MIC of <2 μg/ml against polymyxin-resistant and polymyxin-heteroresistant Gram-negative pathogens. Likewise, four of these compounds exhibit antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, one of which rapidly eradicated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. We present multiple first-generation (i.e., not yet optimized) compounds that warrant further investigation and optimization, since they can act both synergistically with polymyxin and also as lone antimicrobials for combating ESKAPE pathogens.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document