Abstract
The uropathogenic Staphylococcus saprophyticus is reported severally to be resistant to the drugs often used empirically for treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Their ability to exhibit resistance to multiple drugs is a great deal of threat to successes recorded in the management of UTIs caused by this pathogen. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been demonstrated to exhibit antimicrobial activities but studies about their prospect against multi-drug resistant S. saprophyticus are quite few. This study therefore investigated activities of LAB against the multi-drug resistant S. saprophyticus recovered from urine samples of symptomatic women. The three different species of LAB (Lactobacillus fermentum BTA 62, Lactobacillus johnsonii BTA 86 and Weissella confusa BTA 40) previously isolated and identified by 16S rRNA sequencing were selected based on their history of antimicrobial activities. Their metabolites were employed in the antagonistic assays against six (6) multi-drug resistant test pathogens recovered from urine samples of symptomatic, non-pregnant women attending clinics in Lagos, Nigeria and the control (S. saprophyticus subs bovis strain DSM 18669) following standard procedures. The pathogens showed resistances to almost all the antibiotics except levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, imipenem while the control showed resistance to three. The LAB, L. fermentum inhibited five (83.3%) of the pathogens with zone diameter of 12 - 17 mm, followed by W. confusa inhibiting three (50%) with 15 - 17 mm. Lactobacillus johnsonii on the other hand, inhibited a pathogen and the control with zones of 13 mm and 14 mm respectively. In conclusion, the extracted metabolites of LAB inhibited the growth of multi-drug resistant clinical isolates of uropathogenic S. saprophyticus and may therefore be potent alternatives to antibiotics.
Highlights
The incidence of bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI) in mostly young women, old men and rarely in children is caused by Staphylococci such as S. aureus, S. saprophyticus, and S. epidermidis [1] [2] [3]
The uropathogenic Staphylococcus saprophyticus is reported severally to be resistant to the drugs often used empirically for treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Their metabolites were employed in the antagonistic assays against six (6) multi-drug resistant test pathogens recovered from urine samples of symptomatic, non-pregnant women attending clinics in Lagos, Nigeria and the control (S. saprophyticus subs bovis strain DSM 18669) following standard procedures
Summary
The incidence of bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI) in mostly young women, old men and rarely in children is caused by Staphylococci such as S. aureus, S. saprophyticus, and S. epidermidis [1] [2] [3]. Apart from the pathogenicity of these bacteria, their resistance to antibiotics in the treatment of UTIs is demonstrated and these have given rise to recurrent episodes of the infections in 30% of young healthy women during their lifetime [6] [7] [8]. Multiple drug resistance in Staphylococci which is a major and growing problem can either be hospital or community acquired while the resistance of S. saprophyticus to the antibiotics used commonly in the empirical treatment of uncomplicated lower UTIs in young women complicates the treatment [12]. There are quite scanty data on the antagonistic abilities of LAB against multi-drug resistant uropathogenic S. saprophyticus despite the importance of this organism in community acquired UTIs and its colonization in many young sexually active women. Most of the studies available reported activities against E. coli, Candida albicans, K. pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. faecalis [18] [19] [20] [21] which were not really multi-drug resistant
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