Abstract
Simple SummaryBiofilm formation represents one of the most effective forms of bacterial persistence in surfaces where nutrients are available or in the tissues of living hosts as humans or animals. Such persistence is due to the high rate of antimicrobial resistance of this shell conformation. It often represents a burden when the pathogen colonizes niches from where it is not removable such as food facilities, farm facilities or parts of living organisms. In this study, we investigated biofilm formation mechanisms and enhanced antimicrobial resistance of 6 different S. aureus strains. The detected mechanisms were primarily related to the control of catabolites, the production of proteins with moonlighting activities and the detoxification of compounds with antimicrobial activities (i.e., alcohol). Glycolysis and aerobic metabolisms were found to be less active in the biofilm conformation. Consequently, less H2O2 production from aerobic metabolism was translated into a measurable under-representation of catalase protein.Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents one of the most critical challenges that humanity will face in the following years. In this context, a “One Health” approach with an integrated multidisciplinary effort involving humans, animals and their surrounding environment is needed to tackle the spread of AMR. One of the most common ways for bacteria to live is to adhere to surfaces and form biofilms. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) can form biofilm on most surfaces and in a wide heterogeneity of environmental conditions. The biofilm guarantees the survival of the S. aureus in harsh environmental conditions and represents an issue for the food industry and animal production. The identification and characterization of biofilm-related proteins may provide interesting insights into biofilm formation mechanisms in S. aureus. In this regard, the aims of this study were: (i) to use proteomics to compare proteomes of S. aureus growing in planktonic and biofilm forms in order to investigate the common features of biofilm formation properties of different strains; (ii) to identify specific biofilm mechanisms that may be involved in AMR. The proteomic analysis showed 14 differentially expressed proteins among biofilm and planktonic forms of S. aureus. Moreover, three proteins, such as alcohol dehydrogenase, ATP-dependent 6-phosphofructokinase, and fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, were only differentially expressed in strains classified as high biofilm producers. Differentially regulated catabolites metabolisms and the switch to lower oxygen-related metabolisms were related to the sessile conformation analyzed.
Highlights
Humanity is already facing a challenge related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
We investigated biofilm formation mechanisms and enhanced antimicrobial resistance of 6 different S. aureus strains
The proteomic analysis was performed in order to discover the mechanisms of biofilm formation common to all analyzed S. aureus strains
Summary
Humanity is already facing a challenge related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Such a burden will become worse due to the massive use of antimicrobials such as alcohol-based products for hands and workplaces sanitization necessary to mitigate the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These key precautions may create an ecological pressure on microorganisms and contribute to the emergence of AMR in microbial populations that can colonize human body and the environment. The use of biocides in the environment (such as farms and food industries) has already created a phenomenon known as AMR cross-resistance [1,2,3]. It is well known that bacteria growing as biofilms might be physiologically distinct from the same bacteria growing as free-swimming planktonic cells [6,7]
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