Abstract
Recently discovered preventive effects of probiotics on oral health have attracted interest to their use for the prevention and treatment of various diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of Weissella cibaria against Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, S. pneumoniae, and Moraxella catarrhalis, the major pathogens of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). The antimicrobial activities of W. cibaria were compared with those of other oral probiotics using a competitive inhibition assay and the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). In addition, a time-kill assay, spectrophotometry, and confocal laser scanning microscopy were used to confirm the antimicrobial and antibiofilm abilities of W. cibaria CMU (oraCMU) and CMS1 (oraCMS1). Both live cells and cell-free supernatants of all tested probiotics, except Streptococcus salivarius, showed excellent antimicrobial activities. All target pathogens were killed within 4 to 24 h at twice the MIC of oraCMU and oraCMS1, which showed the highest antimicrobial activities against M. catarrhalis. The antimicrobial substances that affected different target pathogens were different. Both oraCMU and oraCMS1 showed excellent abilities to inhibit biofilm formation and remove preformed biofilms. Our results suggest that the W. cibaria probiotics offer new possibilities for the prevention and treatment of bacterial URTIs.
Highlights
The best antimicrobial activity against S. pyogenes was shown by the cell-free supernatants (CFSs) of L. salivarius with a minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of
Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) analysis was used to observe the effects of live cells and CFSs of the W. cibaria strains on S. pyogenes biofilm formation
Very small amounts of biofilm were observed in all areas treated with live cells or CFSs of the W. cibaria strains compared to the positive control group (Figure 6a)
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are infections of the nose, sinuses, throat, larynx, and epiglottis [1]. Acute URTIs are primarily caused by viruses [2]. The most common viral URTI is nasopharyngitis (cold), which is experienced by adults 2–5 times a year [3]. Acute URTIs have been reported to cause a high disease burden, accounting for
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