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Comparative metabolomics revealed key pathways associated with the synergistic killing of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae by a bacteriophage-polymyxin combination.

ABSTRACT: Resistance to the last-line polymyxins is emerging in multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and phage therapy is a promising alternative. However, phage monotherapy often rapidly causes resistance and few studies have examined antibiotic-phage combinations against K. pneumoniae. Here, we investigated the combination of polymyxin B with a novel phage pK8 against an mcr-1-carrying polymyxin-resistant clinical isolate Kp II-503 (polymyxin B MIC, 8 mg/L). The phage genome was sequenced and bacterial metabolomes were analysed at 4 and 24 h following the treatment with polymyxin B (16 mg/L), phage pK8 (10² PFU/mL) and their combination. Minimal metabolic changes across 24 h were observed with polymyxin B alone; whereas a significant inhibition of the citrate cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, amino acid and nucleotide metabolism occurred with the phage-polymyxin combination at both 4 and 24 h, but with phage alone only at 4 h. The development of resistance to phage alone was associated with enhanced membrane lipid and decreased amino acid biosynthesis in Kp II-503. Notably, cAMP, cGMP and cCMP were significantly enriched (3.1-6.6 log₂fold) by phage alone and the combination only at 4 h. This is the first systems pharmacology study to investigate the enhanced bacterial killing by polymyxin-phage combination and provides important mechanistic information on phage killing, resistance and antibiotic-phage combination in K. pneumoniae.

SUBMITTER: Han ML

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8760530 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Resistance to polymyxin antibiotics is increasing. Without new antibiotic classes, combination therapy is often required. We systematically investigated bacterial killing with polymyxin-based combinations against multidrug-resistant (including polymyxin-resistant), carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Monotherapies and double- and triple-combination therapies were compared to identify the most efficacious treatment using static time-kill studies (24 h, six isolates), an in vitro pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model (IVM; 48 h, two isolates), and the mouse thigh infection model (24 h, six isolates). In static time-kill studies, all monotherapies (polymyxin B, rifampin, amikacin, meropenem, or minocycline) were ineffective. Initial bacterial killing was enhanced with various polymyxin B-containing double combinations; however, substantial regrowth occurred in most cases by 24 h. Most polymyxin B-containing triple combinations provided greater and more sustained killing than double combinations. Standard dosage regimens of polymyxin B (2.5?mg/kg of body weight/day), rifampin (600?mg every 12 h), and amikacin (7.5?mg/kg every 12 h) were simulated in the IVM. Against isolate ATH 16, no viable bacteria were detected across 5 to 25 h with triple therapy, with regrowth to ?2-log10 CFU/ml occurring at 48 h. Against isolate BD 32, rapid initial killing of ?3.5-log10 CFU/ml at 5 h was followed by a slow decline to ?2-log10 CFU/ml at 48 h. In infected mice, polymyxin B monotherapy (60?mg/kg/day) generally was ineffective. With triple therapy (polymyxin B at 60?mg/kg/day, rifampin at 120?mg/kg/day, and amikacin at 300?mg/kg/day), at 24 h there was an ?1.7-log10 CFU/thigh reduction compared to the starting inoculum for all six isolates. Our results demonstrate that the polymyxin B-rifampin-amikacin combination significantly enhanced in vitro and in vivo bacterial killing, providing important information for the optimization of polymyxin-based combinations in patients.

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Comparative metabolomics revealed key pathways associated with the synergistic killing of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae by a bacteriophage-polymyxin combination.

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