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Burke Ó, Zeden MS, O'Gara JP. The pathogenicity and virulence of the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus epidermidis. Virulence 2024; 15:2359483. [PMID: 38868991 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2024.2359483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The pervasive presence of Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative staphylococci on the skin and mucous membranes has long underpinned a casual disregard for the infection risk that these organisms pose to vulnerable patients in healthcare settings. Prior to the recognition of biofilm as an important virulence determinant in S. epidermidis, isolation of this microorganism in diagnostic specimens was often overlooked as clinically insignificant with potential delays in diagnosis and onset of appropriate treatment, contributing to the establishment of chronic infection and increased morbidity or mortality. While impressive progress has been made in our understanding of biofilm mechanisms in this important opportunistic pathogen, research into other virulence determinants has lagged S. aureus. In this review, the broader virulence potential of S. epidermidis including biofilm, toxins, proteases, immune evasion strategies and antibiotic resistance mechanisms is surveyed, together with current and future approaches for improved therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Órla Burke
- Microbiology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | | | - James P O'Gara
- Microbiology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
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Jonblat S, As-sadi F, El Khoury A, Badr N, Kallassy M, Chokr A. Determining the dispersion time in Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm using physical and molecular approaches. Heliyon 2024; 10:e32389. [PMID: 38975180 PMCID: PMC11225768 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite being an innocuous commensal of human skin and mucous membranes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, infects surgical wounds and causes infections through biofilm formation. This study evaluates, in a time-dependent experiment, the self-dispersion of S. epidermidis CIP 444 biofilm when formed on borosilicate glass (hydrophilic) and polystyrene (hydrophobic) surfaces, using physical and molecular approaches. During a seven-day period of incubation, absorbance measurement revealed a drop in biofilm optical density on both studied surfaces on day 4 (0.043-0.035 nm/cm2, polystyrene), (0.06-0.053 nm/cm2, borosilicate glass). Absorbance results were correlated with crystal violet staining that showed a clear detachment from day 4. The blue color increases again on day 7, with an increase in biofilm optical density indicating the regeneration of the biofilm. Changes in gene expression in the S. epidermidis biofilm were assessed using a real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. High expression of agr genes was detected on days 4 and 5, confirming our supposition of dispersion in this period, autolysin genes like atlE1 and aae were upregulated from day 3 until day 6 and the genes responsible for slime production and biofilm accumulation, were upregulated on days 4, 5, and 6 (ica ADBC) and on days 5, 6 and 7 (aap), indicating a dual process taking place. These findings suggest that S. epidermidis CIP 444 biofilms disperse at day 4 and reform at day 7. Over the course of the seven-day investigation, 2-ΔΔCt results showed that some genes in the biofilm were dramatically enhanced while others were significantly decreased as compared to planktonic ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Jonblat
- Research Laboratory of Microbiology (RLM), Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences I, Lebanese University, Hadat Campus, Beirut, Lebanon
- Functional Genomic and Proteomic Laboratory, Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, Campus des Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukos, Matn, Lebanon
- Centre d'Analyses et de Recherche (CAR), Unité de Recherche Technologies et Valorisation Agro-Alimentaire (UR-TVA), Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, Campus des Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukos, Matn, Lebanon
- Platform of Research and Analysis in Environmental Sciences (PRASE), Doctoral School of Sciences and Technologies, Lebanese University, Hadat Campus, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Falah As-sadi
- Research Laboratory of Microbiology (RLM), Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences I, Lebanese University, Hadat Campus, Beirut, Lebanon
- Department of Plant Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Lebanese University, Beirut, 999095, Lebanon
| | - Andre El Khoury
- Centre d'Analyses et de Recherche (CAR), Unité de Recherche Technologies et Valorisation Agro-Alimentaire (UR-TVA), Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, Campus des Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukos, Matn, Lebanon
| | - Neressa Badr
- Research Laboratory of Microbiology (RLM), Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences I, Lebanese University, Hadat Campus, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Mireille Kallassy
- Functional Genomic and Proteomic Laboratory, Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, Campus des Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukos, Matn, Lebanon
| | - Ali Chokr
- Research Laboratory of Microbiology (RLM), Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences I, Lebanese University, Hadat Campus, Beirut, Lebanon
- Platform of Research and Analysis in Environmental Sciences (PRASE), Doctoral School of Sciences and Technologies, Lebanese University, Hadat Campus, Beirut, Lebanon
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Lopes N, Pereira RB, Correia A, Vilanova M, Cerca N, França A. Deletion of codY impairs Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm formation, generation of viable but non-culturable cells and stimulates cytokine production in human macrophages. J Med Microbiol 2024; 73. [PMID: 38743043 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction. Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms are one of the major causes of bloodstream infections related to the use of medical devices. The diagnosis of these infections is challenging, delaying their treatment and resulting in increased morbidity and mortality rates. As such, it is urgent to characterize the mechanisms employed by this bacterium to endure antibiotic treatments and the response of the host immune system, to develop more effective therapeutic strategies. In several bacterial species, the gene codY was shown to encode a protein that regulates the expression of genes involved in biofilm formation and immune evasion. Additionally, in a previous study, our group generated evidence indicating that codY is involved in the emergence of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) cells in S. epidermidis.Gap statement/Hypothesis. As such, we hypothesized that the gene codY has have an important role in this bacterium virulence.Aim. This study aimed to assess, for the first time, the impact of the deletion of the gene codY in S. epidermidis virulence, namely, in antibiotic susceptibility, biofilm formation, VBNC state emergence and in vitro host immune system response.Methodology. Using an allelic replacement strategy, we constructed and then characterized an S. epidermidis strain lacking codY, in regards to biofilm and VBNC cell formation, susceptibility to antibiotics as well as their role in the interaction with human blood and plasma. Additionally, we investigate whether the codY gene can impact the activation of innate immune cells by evaluating the production of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines by THP-1 macrophages.Results. We demonstrated that the deletion of the gene codY resulted in biofilms with less c.f.u. counts and fewer VBNC cells. Furthermore, we show that although WT and mutant cells were similarly internalized in vitro by human macrophages, a stronger cytokine response was elicited by the mutant in a toll-like receptor 4-dependent manner.Conclusion. Our results indicate that codY contributes to S. epidermidis virulence, which in turn may have an impact on our ability to manage the biofilm-associated infections caused by this bacterium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Lopes
- Laboratório de Investigação em Biofilmes Rosário Oliveira (LIBRO), Centro de Engenharia Biológica (CEB), Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal
| | - Renato B Pereira
- I3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Alexandra Correia
- I3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Manuel Vilanova
- I3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno Cerca
- Laboratório de Investigação em Biofilmes Rosário Oliveira (LIBRO), Centro de Engenharia Biológica (CEB), Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal
- LABBELS-Laboratório Associado, Braga, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Angela França
- Laboratório de Investigação em Biofilmes Rosário Oliveira (LIBRO), Centro de Engenharia Biológica (CEB), Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal
- LABBELS-Laboratório Associado, Braga, Guimarães, Portugal
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Ma X, Wang L, Yang F, Li J, Guo L, Guo Y, He S. Drug sensitivity and genome-wide analysis of two strains of Mycoplasma gallisepticum with different biofilm intensity. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1196747. [PMID: 37621399 PMCID: PMC10445764 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1196747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is one of the major causative agents of chronic respiratory diseases in poultry. The biofilms of MG are highly correlated to its chronic infection. However data on genes involved in biofilm formation ability are still scarse. MG strains with distinct biofilm intensity were screened by crystal violet staining morphotyped and characterized for the drug sensitivity. Two MG strains NX-01 and NX-02 showed contrasted ability to biofilm formation. The biofilm formation ability of NX-01 strain was significantly higher than that of NX-02 strain (p < 0.01). The drug sensitivity test showed that the stronger the ability of MG stain to form biofilms, the weaker its sensitivity to 17 antibiotic drugs. Moreover, putative key genes related to biofilm formation were screened by genome-wide analysis. A total of 13 genes and proteins related to biofilm formation, including ManB, oppA, oppD, PDH, eno, RelA, msbA, deoA, gapA, rpoS, Adhesin P1 precursor, S-adenosine methionine synthetase, and methionyl tRNA synthetase were identified. There were five major discrepancies between the two isolated MG strains and the five NCBI-published MG strains. These findings provide potential targets for inhibiting the formation of biofilm of MG, and lay a foundation for treating chronic infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Ma
- Clinical Veterinary Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science and Technology, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Li Wang
- Clinical Veterinary Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science and Technology, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Fei Yang
- Clinical Veterinary Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science and Technology, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Jidong Li
- Clinical Veterinary Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science and Technology, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Lei Guo
- Ningxia Xiaoming Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd., Yinchuan, China
| | - Yanan Guo
- Ningxia Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Yinchuan, China
| | - Shenghu He
- Clinical Veterinary Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science and Technology, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
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França A, Cerca N. Gene Expression Quantification from Pathogenic Bacterial Biofilms by Quantitative PCR. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2967:133-149. [PMID: 37608108 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3358-8_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is one of the most used techniques to quantify gene expression in bacterial biofilms due to its easiness, sensitivity, and robustness. However, several practical aspects need to be considered to obtain accurate and reliable results. Here, we describe a detailed and optimized protocol to quantify mRNA transcripts from bacterial biofilms using qPCR, including pieces of advice to improve RNA quality, which ultimately increases the accuracy, consistency, and relevance of gene expression data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela França
- LIBRO-Laboratório de Investigação em Biofilmes Rosário Oliveira, Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
- LABBELS-Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - Nuno Cerca
- LIBRO-Laboratório de Investigação em Biofilmes Rosário Oliveira, Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- LABBELS-Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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Gaio V, Lima T, Vilanova M, Cerca N, França A. mazEF Homologue Has a Minor Role in Staphylococcus epidermidis 1457 Virulence Potential. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 11:803134. [PMID: 35096651 PMCID: PMC8792614 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.803134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm cells are characterized by increased antimicrobial tolerance and improved ability to evade host immune system defenses. These features are, in part, due to the presence of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) cells. A previous study identified genes potentially involved in VBNC cells formation in S. epidermidis biofilms, among which SERP1682/1681 raised special interest due to their putative role as a toxin–antitoxin system of the mazEF family. Herein, we constructed an S. epidermidis mutant lacking the mazEF genes homologues and determined their role in (i) VBNC state induction during biofilm formation, (ii) antimicrobial susceptibility, (iii) survival in human blood and plasma, and (iv) activation of immune cells. Our results revealed that mazEF homologue did not affect the proportion of VBNC cells in S. epidermidis 1457, refuting the previous hypothesis that mazEF homologue could be linked with the emergence of VBNC cells in S. epidermidis biofilms. Additionally, mazEF homologue did not seem to influence key virulence factors on this strain, since its deletion did not significantly affect the mutant biofilm formation capacity, antimicrobial tolerance or the response by immune cells. Surprisingly, our data suggest that mazEF does not behave as a toxin–antitoxin system in S. epidermidis strain 1457, since no decrease in the viability and culturability of bacteria was found when only the mazF toxin homologue was being expressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vânia Gaio
- Laboratory of Research in Biofilms Rosário Oliveira, Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Tânia Lima
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Manuel Vilanova
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno Cerca
- Laboratory of Research in Biofilms Rosário Oliveira, Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Angela França
- Laboratory of Research in Biofilms Rosário Oliveira, Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
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