Project description:Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is a recognized nosocomial pathogen with limited therapeutics options. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) constitute a promising therapeutic alternative. Here we aimed to study the antibacterial properties of a collection of LAB strains using phenotypic and transcriptomic analysis against A. baumannii clinical strains. One strain, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CRL 2244, exerts a strong inhibitory capacity on A. baumannii with a strong killing activity. Scanning electron microscopy images showed changes in the morphology of A. baumannii with an increase formation of outer membrane vesicles. Significant changes in the expression levels a wide variety of genes were observed. Interestingly, most of the modified genes were involved in metabolic pathway known to be associated with bacterial survival. The paa operon, Hut system, and fatty acid degradation were some of the pathways that have been induced. The data reveals the impact of Lcb. rhamnosus CRL 2244 on A. baumannii response, resulting in bacterial stress and subsequent cell death. These findings highlight the antibacterial properties of Lcb. rhamnosus CRL 2244 and its potential as an alternative or complementary strategy for treating infections. Further exploration and development of this LAB as a treatment option could provide valuable alternatives for combating CRAB infections.
Project description:Objectives: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) are one of the most difficult pathogen to treat. The only drug recently approved by the FDA that is active against CRAB is cefiderocol. However, recent studies have shown higher all-cause mortality rate in the group of patients treated with cefiderocol, that may be due to heteroresistance, a phenotype characterized by the survival of a small proportion of cells in a population seemingly isogenic. Previous studies showed that adding human fluids to CRAB cultures can lead to CFDC heteroresistance. To better understand the nature of this phenomenon, we carried out molecular and phenotypic analyses of CRAB heteroresistant bacterial subpopulations. Methods: The CRAB strain AMA40 was cultured in the presence of cefiderocol and human pleural fluid (HPF) to isolate heteroresistant variants. Two of them, AMA40 IHC_1 and IHC_2, were subjected to whole genome sequencing and transcriptomic analysis to identify the mutations and transcriptomic changes responsible for the development of cefiderocol resistance. The impact of mutations on the pharmacodynamic activity of cefiderocol was assessed by susceptibility testing, EDTA and Boronic acid inhibition analysis, biofilm formation, and static time-kill assays. Results: Variants AMA40 IHC_1 and IHC_2 had 53 mutations, forty of which were common to both heteroresistant strains. None of the mutations are located inside genes associated with iron-uptake systems or β-lactam resistance. However, pipA, a gene associated with iron homeostasis in other species, was mutated in heteroresistant strains. Transcriptomic analyses revealed modifications in levels of expression of genes associated with antibiotic resistance. The blaNDM-1, blaADC-2, pbp3, and pbp1 were expressed at higher levels. At the same time, the carO and ompA genes’ expression was reduced. Collateral resistance to amikacin was observed in the heteroresistant variants. Static time-kill assays showed that when CA-MHB was supplemented with human serum albumin, the main protein component of HPF, cefiderocol killing activity was considerably reduced in all three strains. Conclusions: We conclude that heteroresistance to cefiderocol in CRAB, when exposed to fluids containing high HSA, is caused by mutations and modifications in the expression of genes associated with resistance to β-lactams.
Project description:Cefiderocol (CFDC) is a novel chlorocatechol-substituted siderophore approved to treat complicated urinary tract infections and for hospital-acquired and ventilator-acquired pneumonia. In previous work, human fluids, were shown to increase the minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs) of Acinetobacter baumannii against CFDC and reduce the expression of genes related to iron uptake systems, which could explain the need for higher concentrations of CFDC to exert inhibitory action. Herein, we analyzed the impact of human urine (HU), which contains low albumin concentrations, on the expression of iron-uptake related genes and MIC values of two carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii. Levels of resistance to CFDC were not modified by HU in strain AMA40 but were reduced in the case of strain AB5075. Testing other carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates showed that the CFDC MICs were unmodified or reduced in the presence of HU. The expression of piuA, pirA, bauA, and bfnH determined by qRT-PCR was enhanced in both strains when HU was present in the culture medium. All four tested genes are involved in recognizing ferric siderophore complexes or internalization into the cell’s cytosol. In contrast, the effect of HU on genes associated with resistance to β-lactams, antibiotics commonly used to treat urinary tract infections caused by A. baumannii, was variable; the transcriptional analysis of pbp1, pbp3, blaOXA-51-like, blaADC, and blaNDM-1 showed significant variation. In summary, HU, probably due to the albumin and free iron content, does not adversely impact or slightly improves the activity of CFDC when tested against A. baumannii in urine in contrast to other human bodily fluids.
Project description:Using Nanopore sequencing, our study has revealed a close correlation between genomic methylation levels and antibiotic resistance rates in Acinetobacter Baumannii. Specifically, the combined genome-wide DNA methylome and transcriptome analysis revealed the first epigenetic-based antibiotic-resistance mechanism in A. baumannii. Our findings suggest that the precise location of methylation sites along the chromosome could provide new diagnostic markers and drug targets to improve the management of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii infections.