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Bényei ÉB, Nazeer RR, Askenasy I, Mancini L, Ho PM, Sivarajan GAC, Swain JEV, Welch M. The past, present and future of polymicrobial infection research: Modelling, eavesdropping, terraforming and other stories. Adv Microb Physiol 2024; 85:259-323. [PMID: 39059822 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ampbs.2024.04.002] [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: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Over the last two centuries, great advances have been made in microbiology as a discipline. Much of this progress has come about as a consequence of studying the growth and physiology of individual microbial species in well-defined laboratory media; so-called "axenic growth". However, in the real world, microbes rarely live in such "splendid isolation" (to paraphrase Foster) and more often-than-not, share the niche with a plethora of co-habitants. The resulting interactions between species (and even between kingdoms) are only very poorly understood, both on a theoretical and experimental level. Nevertheless, the last few years have seen significant progress, and in this review, we assess the importance of polymicrobial infections, and show how improved experimental traction is advancing our understanding of these. A particular focus is on developments that are allowing us to capture the key features of polymicrobial infection scenarios, especially as those associated with the human airways (both healthy and diseased).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Isabel Askenasy
- Department of Biochemistry, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Leonardo Mancini
- Department of Biochemistry, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Pok-Man Ho
- Department of Biochemistry, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jemima E V Swain
- Department of Biochemistry, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Welch
- Department of Biochemistry, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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2
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O’Toole GA. We have a community problem. J Bacteriol 2024; 206:e0007324. [PMID: 38529952 PMCID: PMC11025320 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00073-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- George A. O’Toole
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
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3
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Gnaien M, Maufrais C, Rebai Y, Kallel A, Ma L, Hamouda S, Khalsi F, Meftah K, Smaoui H, Khemiri M, Hadj Fredj S, Bachellier-Bassi S, Najjar I, Messaoud T, Boussetta K, Kallel K, Mardassi H, d’Enfert C, Bougnoux ME, Znaidi S. A gain-of-function mutation in zinc cluster transcription factor Rob1 drives Candida albicans adaptive growth in the cystic fibrosis lung environment. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012154. [PMID: 38603707 PMCID: PMC11037546 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Candida albicans chronically colonizes the respiratory tract of patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). It competes with CF-associated pathogens (e.g. Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and contributes to disease severity. We hypothesize that C. albicans undergoes specific adaptation mechanisms that explain its persistence in the CF lung environment. To identify the underlying genetic and phenotypic determinants, we serially recovered 146 C. albicans clinical isolates over a period of 30 months from the sputum of 25 antifungal-naive CF patients. Multilocus sequence typing analyses revealed that most patients were individually colonized with genetically close strains, facilitating comparative analyses between serial isolates. We strikingly observed differential ability to filament and form monospecies and dual-species biofilms with P. aeruginosa among 18 serial isolates sharing the same diploid sequence type, recovered within one year from a pediatric patient. Whole genome sequencing revealed that their genomes were highly heterozygous and similar to each other, displaying a highly clonal subpopulation structure. Data mining identified 34 non-synonymous heterozygous SNPs in 19 open reading frames differentiating the hyperfilamentous and strong biofilm-former strains from the remaining isolates. Among these, we detected a glycine-to-glutamate substitution at position 299 (G299E) in the deduced amino acid sequence of the zinc cluster transcription factor ROB1 (ROB1G299E), encoding a major regulator of filamentous growth and biofilm formation. Introduction of the G299E heterozygous mutation in a co-isolated weak biofilm-former CF strain was sufficient to confer hyperfilamentous growth, increased expression of hyphal-specific genes, increased monospecies biofilm formation and increased survival in dual-species biofilms formed with P. aeruginosa, indicating that ROB1G299E is a gain-of-function mutation. Disruption of ROB1 in a hyperfilamentous isolate carrying the ROB1G299E allele abolished hyperfilamentation and biofilm formation. Our study links a single heterozygous mutation to the ability of C. albicans to better survive during the interaction with other CF-associated microbes and illuminates how adaptive traits emerge in microbial pathogens to persistently colonize and/or infect the CF-patient airways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayssa Gnaien
- Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Laboratoire de Microbiologie Moléculaire, Vaccinologie et Développement Biotechnologique (LR16IPT01), Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Corinne Maufrais
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INRAE USC2019A, Département Mycologie, Unité Biologie et Pathogénicité Fongiques, Paris, France
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Hub, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Yasmine Rebai
- Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Laboratoire de Microbiologie Moléculaire, Vaccinologie et Développement Biotechnologique (LR16IPT01), Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Aicha Kallel
- Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Laboratoire de Microbiologie Moléculaire, Vaccinologie et Développement Biotechnologique (LR16IPT01), Tunis, Tunisia
- Hôpital La Rabta, Laboratoire de Parasitologie et de Mycologie, UR17SP03, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Laurence Ma
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biomics core facility, Centre de Ressources et Recherche Technologique (C2RT), Paris, France
| | - Samia Hamouda
- Hôpital d’Enfants Béchir Hamza de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Fatma Khalsi
- Hôpital d’Enfants Béchir Hamza de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
| | | | - Hanen Smaoui
- Hôpital d’Enfants Béchir Hamza de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Monia Khemiri
- Hôpital d’Enfants Béchir Hamza de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
| | | | - Sophie Bachellier-Bassi
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INRAE USC2019A, Département Mycologie, Unité Biologie et Pathogénicité Fongiques, Paris, France
| | - Imène Najjar
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biomics core facility, Centre de Ressources et Recherche Technologique (C2RT), Paris, France
| | | | | | - Kalthoum Kallel
- Hôpital La Rabta, Laboratoire de Parasitologie et de Mycologie, UR17SP03, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Helmi Mardassi
- Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Laboratoire de Microbiologie Moléculaire, Vaccinologie et Développement Biotechnologique (LR16IPT01), Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Christophe d’Enfert
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INRAE USC2019A, Département Mycologie, Unité Biologie et Pathogénicité Fongiques, Paris, France
| | - Marie-Elisabeth Bougnoux
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INRAE USC2019A, Département Mycologie, Unité Biologie et Pathogénicité Fongiques, Paris, France
| | - Sadri Znaidi
- Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Laboratoire de Microbiologie Moléculaire, Vaccinologie et Développement Biotechnologique (LR16IPT01), Tunis, Tunisia
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INRAE USC2019A, Département Mycologie, Unité Biologie et Pathogénicité Fongiques, Paris, France
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4
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Moazami Goudarzi S, Shahpouri Arani Y, Abdi Ali A, Mohammadi P, Ghorbanmehr N, Modaresi M, Ghorban Movahed M, Ghazanfari T. Comparison of culture and PCR-DGGE methods to evaluate the airways of cystic fibrosis patients and determination of their antibiotic resistance profile. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY 2023; 15:750-758. [PMID: 38156302 PMCID: PMC10751606 DOI: 10.18502/ijm.v15i6.14135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Background and Objectives Respiratory infections are the most serious condition in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients; therefore, a thorough comprehension of the diversity and dominant microbial species in CF airways has a crucial role in treatment. Our objective was to determine the antibiotic resistance profile of CF airways microbiota and compare culture methods and PCR-DGGE to evaluate bacterial diversity. Materials and Methods Pharyngeal swabs from 121 CF patients were collected. The samples were then cultured, identified and antibiotic resistance testing was performed. Thirty samples were subjected to further molecular surveys. DNA contents of these samples were extracted and amplified using nested-PCR technique and their bacterial diversity was assessed by DGGE. The DGGE patterns were visualized and certain bands were excised and purified. Next, the DNA was amplified by another round of PCR and sent out for sequencing. Results Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the most prevalent species isolated using culture methods. S. aureus was the most common bacteria among 6 years and younger patients; while, P. aeruginosa had more prevalence among older ones. The PCR-DGGE results showed more diversity than culture methods, particularly in younger patients who exhibited more bacterial diversity than the older groups. Sequencing results unveiled the presence of certain bacterial species including Haemophilus parainfluenzae and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia which were completely missed in culture. Conclusion Even though culture-dependent methods are cost-effective, PCR-DGGE appeared to be more efficient to determine bacterial diversity. PCR-DGGE detects less abundant species, though their viability could not be determined using this method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somayeh Moazami Goudarzi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
- Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, Iran CF Foundation (ICFF), Tehran, Iran
| | - Yasamin Shahpouri Arani
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahya Abdi Ali
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parisa Mohammadi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nassim Ghorbanmehr
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammadreza Modaresi
- Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, Iran CF Foundation (ICFF), Tehran, Iran
- Pediatric Pulmonary Disease and Sleep Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahtab Ghorban Movahed
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tooba Ghazanfari
- Immunoregulation Research Center, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
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5
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Hibbert TM, Whiteley M, Renshaw SA, Neill DR, Fothergill JL. Emerging strategies to target virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory infections. Crit Rev Microbiol 2023:1-16. [PMID: 37999716 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2023.2285995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that is responsible for infections in people living with chronic respiratory conditions, such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF bronchiectasis (NCFB). Traditionally, in people with chronic respiratory disorders, P. aeruginosa infection has been managed with a combination of inhaled and intravenous antibiotic therapies. However, due in part to the prolonged use of antibiotics in these people, the emergence of multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa strains is a growing concern. The development of anti-virulence therapeutics may provide a new means of treating P. aeruginosa lung infections whilst also combatting the AMR crisis, as these agents are presumed to exert reduced pressure for the emergence of drug resistance as compared to antibiotics. However, the pipeline for developing anti-virulence therapeutics is poorly defined, and it is currently unclear as to whether in vivo and in vitro models effectively replicate the complex pulmonary environment sufficiently to enable development and testing of such therapies for future clinical use. Here, we discuss potential targets for P. aeruginosa anti-virulence therapeutics and the effectiveness of the current models used to study them. Focus is given to the difficulty of replicating the virulence gene expression patterns of P. aeruginosa in the CF and NCFB lung under laboratory conditions and to the challenges this poses for anti-virulence therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tegan M Hibbert
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Marvin Whiteley
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Centre for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Stephen A Renshaw
- The Bateson Centre and Division of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Daniel R Neill
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Joanne L Fothergill
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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6
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On YY, Figueroa W, Fan C, Ho PM, Bényei ÉB, Weimann A, Ruis C, Floto AR, Welch M. Impact of transient acquired hypermutability on the inter- and intra-species competitiveness of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:1931-1939. [PMID: 37666975 PMCID: PMC10579334 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01503-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Once acquired, hypermutation is unrelenting, and in the long-term, leads to impaired fitness due to its cumulative impact on the genome. This raises the question of why hypermutators arise so frequently in microbial ecosystems. In this work, we explore this problem by examining how the transient acquisition of hypermutability affects inter- and intra-species competitiveness, and the response to environmental insults such as antibiotic challenge. We do this by engineering Pseudomonas aeruginosa to allow the expression of an important mismatch repair gene, mutS, to be experimentally controlled over a wide dynamic range. We show that high levels of mutS expression induce genomic stasis (hypomutation), whereas lower levels of induction lead to progressively higher rates of mutation. Whole-genome sequence analyses confirmed that the mutational spectrum of the inducible hypermutator is similar to the distinctive profile associated with mutS mutants obtained from the airways of people with cystic fibrosis (CF). The acquisition of hypermutability conferred a distinct temporal fitness advantage over the wild-type P. aeruginosa progenitor strain, in both the presence and the absence of an antibiotic selection pressure. However, over a similar time-scale, acquisition of hypermutability had little impact on the population dynamics of P. aeruginosa when grown in the presence of a competing species (Staphylococcus aureus). These data indicate that in the short term, acquired hypermutability primarily confers a competitive intra-species fitness advantage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Yuan On
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Wendy Figueroa
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Catherine Fan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
- Currently based at Epoch Biodesign, Oxford, UK
| | - Pok-Man Ho
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | | | - Aaron Weimann
- Heart Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- University of Cambridge Molecular Immunity Unit, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Christopher Ruis
- Heart Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- University of Cambridge Molecular Immunity Unit, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andres R Floto
- Heart Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- University of Cambridge Molecular Immunity Unit, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Centre for Lung Infection, Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge University Hospitals Trust, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Martin Welch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK.
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7
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Ho PM, Nazeer RR, Welch M. Therapeutic interventions alter ecological interactions among cystic fibrosis airway microbiota. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1178131. [PMID: 37323900 PMCID: PMC10265647 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1178131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The airways of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) often harbor a diverse microbiota and in recent years, much effort has been invested in cataloguing these. In spite of providing a wealth of insight, this cataloguing tells us little about how the organisms interact with one another in the CF airways. However, such relationships can be inferred using the theoretical framework of the Lotka-Volterra (LV) model. In the current work, we use a generalized Lotka-Volterra model to interrogate the nationwide data collected and curated by the UK CF Registry. This longitudinal dataset (covering the period 2008-2020) contains annual depositions that record the presence/absence of microbial taxa in each patient, their medication, and their CF genotype. Specifically, we wanted to identify trends in ecological relationships between the CF microbiota at a nationwide level, and whether these are potentially affected by medication. Our results show that some medications have a distinct influence on the microbial interactome, especially those that potentially influence the "gut-lung axis" or mucus viscosity. In particular, we found that patients treated with a combination of antimicrobial agents (targeting the airway microbiota), digestive enzymes (assisting in the assimilation of dietary fats and carbohydrates), and DNase (to reduce mucus viscosity) displayed a distinctly different airway interactome compared with patients treated separately with these medications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Martin Welch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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8
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Chieng CCY, Kong Q, Liou NSY, Khasriya R, Horsley H. The clinical implications of bacterial pathogenesis and mucosal immunity in chronic urinary tract infection. Mucosal Immunol 2023; 16:61-71. [PMID: 36642381 DOI: 10.1016/j.mucimm.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) exert a significant health and economic cost globally. Approximately one in four people with a previous history of UTI continue to develop recurrent or chronic infections. Research on UTI has primarily concentrated on pathogen behavior, with the focus gradually shifting to encompass the host immune response. However, these are centered on mouse models of Escherichia coli infection, which may not fully recapitulate the infective etiology and immune responses seen in humans. The emerging field of the urobiome also inadvertently confounds the discrimination of true UTI-causing pathogens from commensals. This review aims to present a novel perspective on chronic UTI by linking microbiology with immunology, which is commonly divergent in this field of research. It also describes the challenges in understanding chronic UTI pathogenesis and the human bladder immune response, largely conjectured from murine studies. Lastly, it outlines the shortcomings of current diagnostic methods in identifying individuals with chronic UTI and consequently treating them, potentially aggravating their disease due to mismanagement of prior episodes. This discourse highlights the need to consider these knowledge gaps and encourages more relevant studies of UTIs in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Qingyang Kong
- Department of Microbial Diseases, Eastman Dental Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Natasha S Y Liou
- Department of Renal Medicine, University College London, London, United Kingdom; EGA Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rajvinder Khasriya
- Department of Microbial Diseases, Eastman Dental Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Harry Horsley
- Department of Renal Medicine, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
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9
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Overcoming Antibiotic Resistance with Novel Paradigms of Antibiotic Selection. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10122383. [PMID: 36557636 PMCID: PMC9781420 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10122383] [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: 11/05/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Conventional antimicrobial susceptibility tests, including phenotypic and genotypic methods, are insufficiently accurate and frequently fail to identify effective antibiotics. These methods predominantly select therapies based on the antibiotic response of only the lead bacterial pathogen within pure bacterial culture. However, this neglects the fact that, in the majority of human infections, the lead bacterial pathogens are present as a part of multispecies communities that modulate the response of these lead pathogens to antibiotics and that multiple pathogens can contribute to the infection simultaneously. This discrepancy is a major cause of the failure of antimicrobial susceptibility tests to detect antibiotics that are effective in vivo. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the factors that are missed by conventional antimicrobial susceptibility tests and it explains how accounting for these methods can aid the development of novel diagnostic approaches.
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10
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O'Brien TJ, Figueroa W, Welch M. Decreased efficacy of antimicrobial agents in a polymicrobial environment. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:1694-1704. [PMID: 35304578 PMCID: PMC9213441 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01218-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The airways of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) often harbour diverse polymicrobial communities. These airway infections can be impossible to resolve through antibiotic intervention, even though isolates of the individual species present are susceptible to the treatment when tested in vitro. In this work, we investigate how polymicrobial cultures comprised of key CF-associated pathogens respond to challenge with species-specific antimicrobial agents; colistin (targets Pseudomonas aeruginosa), fusidic acid (targets Staphylococcus aureus), and fluconazole (targets Candida albicans). We found that growth in a polymicrobial environment protects the target microorganism (sometimes by several orders of magnitude) from the effect(s) of the antimicrobial agent. This decreased antimicrobial efficacy was found to have both non-heritable (physiological) and heritable (genetic) components. Whole-genome sequencing of the colistin-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates revealed single nucleotide polymorphisms and indels in genes encoding lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis and/or pilus biogenesis, indicating that a previously undescribed colistin resistance mechanism was in operation. This was subsequently confirmed through further genetic analyses. Our findings indicate that the polymicrobial nature of the CF airways is likely to have a significant impact on the clinical response to antimicrobial therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wendy Figueroa
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Welch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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11
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O'Brien TJ, Hassan MM, Harrison F, Welch M. An in vitro model for the cultivation of polymicrobial biofilms under continuous-flow conditions. F1000Res 2021; 10:801. [PMID: 34557293 PMCID: PMC8442117 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.55140.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The airways of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) are often chronically colonised with a diverse array of bacterial and fungal species. However, little is known about the relative partitioning of species between the planktonic and biofilm modes of growth in the airways. Existing in vivo and in vitro models of CF airway infection are ill-suited for the long-term recapitulation of mixed microbial communities. Here we describe a simple, in vitro continuous-flow model for the cultivation of polymicrobial biofilms and planktonic cultures on different substrata. Our data provide evidence for inter-species antagonism and synergism in biofilm ecology. We further show that the type of substratum on which the biofilms grow has a profound influence on their species composition. This happens without any major alteration in the composition of the surrounding steady-state planktonic community. Our experimentally-tractable model enables the systematic study of planktonic and biofilm communities under conditions that are nutritionally reminiscent of the CF airway microenvironment, something not possible using any existing in vivo models of CF airway infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Freya Harrison
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Martin Welch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QR, UK
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12
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Cendra MDM, Torrents E. Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms and their partners in crime. Biotechnol Adv 2021; 49:107734. [PMID: 33785375 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms and the capacity of the bacterium to coexist and interact with a broad range of microorganisms have a substantial clinical impact. This review focuses on the main traits of P. aeruginosa biofilms, such as the structural composition and regulatory networks involved, placing particular emphasis on the clinical challenges they represent in terms of antimicrobial susceptibility and biofilm infection clearance. Furthermore, the ability of P. aeruginosa to grow together with other microorganisms is a significant pathogenic attribute with clinical relevance; hence, the main microbial interactions of Pseudomonas are especially highlighted and detailed throughout this review. This article also explores the infections caused by single and polymicrobial biofilms of P. aeruginosa and the current models used to recreate them under laboratory conditions. Finally, the antimicrobial and antibiofilm strategies developed against P. aeruginosa mono and multispecies biofilms are detailed at the end of this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Del Mar Cendra
- Bacterial Infections and Antimicrobial therapies Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 15-21, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Eduard Torrents
- Bacterial Infections and Antimicrobial therapies Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 15-21, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Microbiology Section, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 643 Diagonal Ave., 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
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13
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Grainha T, Jorge P, Alves D, Lopes SP, Pereira MO. Unraveling Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans Communication in Coinfection Scenarios: Insights Through Network Analysis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:550505. [PMID: 33262953 PMCID: PMC7686562 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.550505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern medicine is currently facing huge setbacks concerning infection therapeutics as microorganisms are consistently knocking down every antimicrobial wall set before them. The situation becomes more worrying when taking into account that, in both environmental and disease scenarios, microorganisms present themselves as biofilm communities that are often polymicrobial. This comprises a competitive advantage, with interactions between different species altering host responses, antimicrobial effectiveness, microbial pathogenesis and virulence, usually augmenting the severity of the infection and contributing for the recalcitrance towards conventional therapy. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans are two opportunistic pathogens often co-isolated from infections, mainly from mucosal tissues like the lung. Despite the billions of years of co-existence, this pair of microorganisms is a great example on how little is known about cross-kingdom interactions, particularly within the context of coinfections. Given the described scenario, this study aimed to collect, curate, and analyze all published experimental information on the molecular basis of P. aeruginosa and C. albicans interactions in biofilms, in order to shed light into key mechanisms that may affect infection prognosis, increasing this area of knowledge. Publications were optimally retrieved from PubMed and Web of Science and classified as to their relevance. Data was then systematically and manually curated, analyzed, and further reconstructed as networks. A total of 641 interactions between the two pathogens were annotated, outputting knowledge on important molecular players affecting key virulence mechanisms, such as hyphal growth, and related genes and proteins, constituting potential therapeutic targets for infections related to these bacterial-fungal consortia. Contrasting interactions were also analyzed, and quorum-sensing inhibition approaches were highlighted. All annotated data was made publicly available at www.ceb.uminho.pt/ISCTD, a database already containing similar data for P. aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus communication. This will allow researchers to cut on time and effort when studying this particular subject, facilitating the understanding of the basis of the inter-species and inter-kingdom interactions and how it can be modulated to help design alternative and more effective tailored therapies. Finally, data deposition will serve as base for future dataset integration, whose analysis will hopefully give insights into communications in more complex and varied biofilm communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tânia Grainha
- CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, LIBRO-Laboratory of Research in Biofilms Rosário Oliveira, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
| | - Paula Jorge
- CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, LIBRO-Laboratory of Research in Biofilms Rosário Oliveira, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
| | - Diana Alves
- CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, LIBRO-Laboratory of Research in Biofilms Rosário Oliveira, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
| | - Susana Patrícia Lopes
- CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, LIBRO-Laboratory of Research in Biofilms Rosário Oliveira, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
| | - Maria Olívia Pereira
- CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, LIBRO-Laboratory of Research in Biofilms Rosário Oliveira, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
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