Pyocin efficacy in a murine model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis.
J Antimicrob Chemother 2021;
76:2317-2324. [PMID:
34142136 PMCID:
PMC8361349 DOI:
10.1093/jac/dkab199]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Bloodstream infections with antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa are common and increasingly difficult to treat. Pyocins are naturally occurring protein antibiotics produced by P. aeruginosa that have potential for human use.
OBJECTIVES
To determine if pyocin treatment is effective in a murine model of sepsis with P. aeruginosa.
METHODS
Recombinant pyocins S5 and AP41 were purified and tested for efficacy in a Galleria mellonella infection model and a murine model of P. aeruginosa sepsis.
RESULTS
Both pyocins produced no adverse effects when injected alone into mice and showed good in vitro antipseudomonal activity. In an invertebrate model of sepsis using G. mellonella, both pyocins significantly prolonged survival from 1/10 (10%) survival in controls to 80%-100% survival among groups of 10 pyocin-treated larvae. Following injection into mice, both showed extensive distribution into different organs. When administered 5 h after infection, pyocin S5 significantly increased survival from 33% (2/6) to 83% (5/6) in a murine model of sepsis (difference significant by log-rank test, P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Pyocins S5 and AP41 show in vivo biological activity and can improve survival in two models of P. aeruginosa infection. They hold promise as novel antimicrobial agents for treatment of MDR infections with this microbe.
Collapse