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Bacterial adhesion and the succeeding biofilm formation onto surfaces are responsible for implant- and device-associated infections. Bifunctional coatings integrating both nonfouling components and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a promising approach to develop potent antibiofilm coatings. However, the current approaches and chemistry for such coatings are time-consuming and dependent on substrates and involve a multistep process. Also, the information is limited on the influence of the coating structure or its components on the antibiofilm activity of such AMP-based coatings. Here, we report a new strategy to rapidly assemble a stable, potent, and substrate-independent AMP-based antibiofilm coating in a nonfouling background. The coating structure allowed for the screening of AMPs in a relevant nonfouling background to identify optimal peptide combinations that work in cooperation to generate potent antibiofilm activity. The structure of the coating was changed by altering the organization of the hydrophilic polymer chains within the coatings. The coatings were thoroughly characterized using various surface analytical techniques and correlated with the efficiency to prevent biofilm formation against diverse bacteria. The coating method that allowed the conjugation of AMPs without altering the steric protection ability of hydrophilic polymer structure results in a bifunctional surface coating with excellent antibiofilm activity. In contrast, the conjugation of AMPs directly to the hydrophilic polymer chains resulted in a surface with poor antibiofilm activity and increased adhesion of bacteria. Using this coating approach, we further established a new screening method and identified a set of potent surface-tethered AMPs with high activity. The success of this new peptide screening and coating method is demonstrated using a clinically relevant mouse infection model to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI).

Staphylococcus saprophyticus , the food-borne bacteria present in dairy products, ready-to-eat food and environmental sources, has been reported with antibiotic resistance, raising concerns about food microbial safety. The antimicrobial resistance of S. saprophyticus requires the development of new strategies. Light- and photosensitizer-based antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is a promising approach to control microbial contamination, whereas there is limited information regarding the effectiveness of PDI on S. saprophyticus biofilm control. In this study, PDI mediated by natural bioactive compound (curcumin) associated with LED was evaluated for its potential to prevent and disrupt S. saprophyticus biofilms. Biofilms were treated with curcumin (50, 100, 200 µM) and LED fluence (4.32 J/cm 2 , 8.64 J/cm 2 , 17.28 J/cm 2 ). Control groups included samples treated only with curcumin or light, and samples received neither curcumin nor light. The action was examined on biofilm mass, viability, cellular metabolic activity and cytoplasmic membrane integrity. PDI using curcumin associated with LED exhibited significant antibiofilm activities, inducing biofilm prevention and removal, metabolic inactivation, intracellular membrane damage and cell death. Likewise, scanning electronic microscopy observations demonstrated obvious structural injury and morphological alteration of S. saprophyticus biofilm after PDI application. In conclusion, curcumin is an effective photosensitizer for the photodynamic control of S. saprophyticus biofilm.

Bacteria use two-component systems (TCSs) to sense and respond to their environments. Free-living bacteria usually contain dozens of TCSs, each of them responsible for sensing and responding to a different range of signals. Differences in the content of two-component systems are related with the capacity of the bacteria to colonize different niches or improve the efficiency to grow under the conditions of the existing niche. This review highlights differences in the TCS content between Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus saprophyticus as a case study to exemplify how the ability to sense and respond to the environment is relevant for bacterial capacity to colonize and survive in/on different body surfaces., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common infectious diseases in infants and the elderly; they are also the most common among nosocomial infections. The treatment of UTIs usually involves a short-term course of antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to identify the strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that can inhibit the urinary tract pathogen Staphylococcus saprophyticus, as alternatives to antibiotics. In this study, we collected 370 LAB strains from fermented plant products and reference strains from the Bioresources Collection and Research Center (BCRC). Using spent culture supernatants (SCS), we then screened these LAB strains with for antimicrobial effects on urinary tract pathogens by the well-diffusion assay. Seven LAB strains-PM2, PM68, PM78, PM201, PM206, PM229, and RY2-exhibited inhibitory activity and were evaluated for anti-growth activity against urinary tract pathogens by the co-culture inhibition assay. Anti-adhesion and anti-invasion activities against urinary tract pathogens were evaluated using the SV-HUC-1 urothelial cell cultures. The results revealed that the survival rate of S. saprophyticus ranged from 0.9-2.96%, with the pH continuously decreasing after co-culture with LAB strains for 4 h. In the competitive adhesion assay, the exclusion and competition groups performed better than the displacement group. In the SV-HUC-1 cell invasion assay, PM201, PM206, PM229, and RY2 were found to inhibit the invasion of SV-HUC-1 cells by S. saprophyticus BCRC 10786. To conclude, RY2, PM229, and PM68 strains exhibited inhibitory activity against the urinary tract pathogen S. saprophyticus.

Staphylococcus saprophyticus is a well-known urinary pathogen in acute cystitis in young females. We completed a retrospective overview of the distribution of urinary tract infections (UTIs) occurring in 2014, at Semmelweis University hospitals and at Heim Pál Children's Hospital. Six age-groups (ages 0-100) were examined, with the frequency of S. saprophyticus in females being: 0.1% (0-4), 0.7%, (5-15), 7.4% (16-24), 1.2% (25-39), 0.4% (40-59) and 0.1% (60-100), and S. saprophyticus being the 3(rd) most common pathogen in females aged 16-24. In males, S. saprophyticus was only isolated from those aged 5-15. Seasonal distribution of UTIs caused by S. saprophyticus showed that most infections occurred during the months of January, June, August and November. Antibiotic-resistance rates of amoxicillin, clindamycin, doxycycline, erythromycin, gentamicin and sulfamethoxazole- trimethoprim varied as follows: 0.9%, 32.7%, 19.6%, 34.6%, 0.9% and 0.9%, respectively. Thirty randomly selected samples were analysed by pulsed-field gelelectrophoresis, and 28 different genotypes were identified. S. saprophyticus is involved in the pathogenesis of acute cystitis not only in young females, but also in other age-groups, and in young males as well. We did not find any significant seasonal occurrence in S. saprophyticus-caused UTIs. The infective strains were genetically diverse. Antibiotic-resistance does not pose any issue as of yet.

Sessile cultures of the skin bacteria Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Corynebacterium xerosis were grown using novel fine-celled foam substrata to test the outcome of challenge by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa under three growth medium regimens (simulated sweat, simulated serum or simulated sweat substituted with simulated serum during the microbial challenge). S. saprophyticus and C. xerosis significantly limited MRSA and P. aeruginosa immigration respectively, under the simulated sweat and serum medium regimes. Under the substitution medium regime however, MRSA and P. aeruginosa integrated into pre-established biofilms to a significantly greater extent, attaining cell densities similar to the axenic controls. The outcome of challenge was influenced by the medium composition and test organism but could not be predicted based on planktonic competition assays or growth dynamics. Interactions between skin and wound isolates could be modelled using the fine-celled foam-based system. This model could be used to further investigate interactions and also in preclinical studies of antimicrobial wound care regimens.

Unlabelled: The capacity of subinhibitory levels of antibiotics to modulate bacterial virulence in vitro has recently been brought to light, raising concerns over the appropriateness of low-dose therapies, including antibiotic prophylaxis for recurrent urinary tract infection management. However, the mechanisms involved and their relevance in influencing pathogenesis have not been investigated. We characterized the ability of antibiotics to modulate virulence in the uropathogens Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Escherichia coli. Several antibiotics were able to induce the expression of adhesins critical to urothelial colonization, resulting in increased biofilm formation, colonization of murine bladders and kidneys, and promotion of intracellular niche formation. Mice receiving subinhibitory ciprofloxacin treatment were also more susceptible to severe infections and frequent recurrences. A ciprofloxacin prophylaxis model revealed this strategy to be ineffective in reducing recurrences and worsened infection by creating larger intracellular reservoirs at higher frequencies. Our study indicates that certain agents used for antibiotic prophylaxis have the potential to complicate infections., Importance: Antibiotics are the mainstay treatment for bacterial infections; however, evidence is emerging that argues these agents may have off-target effects if sublethal concentrations are present. Most studies have focused on changes occurring in vitro, leaving questions regarding the clinical relevance in vivo. We utilized a murine urinary tract infection model to explore the potential impact of low-dose antibiotics on pathogenesis. Using this model, we showed that subinhibitory antibiotics prime uropathogens for adherence and invasion of murine urothelial tissues. These changes in initial colonization promoted the establishment of chronic infection. Furthermore, treatment of chronically infected mice with subtherapeutic ciprofloxacin served to exacerbate infection. A part of these changes was thought to be due to suppression of mucosal immunity, as demonstrated through reductions in cytokine secretion and migration of leukocytes into the urinary tract. This work identifies novel risk factors associated with antibiotic therapy when dosing strategies fall below subtherapeutic levels., (Copyright © 2015 Goneau et al.)

Objective: To determine the frequency of isolation of coagulase-negative staphylococci and their resistance to methicillin over a period of time., Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, from June 2009 to May 2012, and comprised clinical samples mostly from patients admitted to the intensive care unit. They were inoculated onto appropriate culture media depending upon the specimen. After 24-hour incubation at 35°C, coagulase-negative staphylococci were identified on the basis of colony morphology, gram staining, a positive catalase and a negative tube coagulase test.Methicillin resistance among the isolated staphylococci was determined using a 30µg Cefoxitin disc as per the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute protocol. Number of coagulase-negative staphylococci for each year and their methicillin resistance rates were calculated. A comparison was made with methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) isolated during the same period., Results: Of the total 1331 specimens studies over three years, 581(43.65%) were coagulase-negative staphylococci. The rate of coagulase-negative staphylococci and methicillin resistance was higher each year; 110(26.6%) in May 2009-Jun 2010, 134(36.5%) in 2011, and 337(61%) in 2012. Methicillin resistance rates also increased from 25(22.7%) to 46(34.3%) and then to 201(59.6%) in 2012.Maximum isolated specimens came from blood 311(53.5%), followed by pus/swabs 204(35.1%)., Conclusions: The frequency of isolation of coagulase-negative staphylococci and its methicillin resistance among hospitalised patients is on the rise.