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Development and Assessment of Intracellular Infection Models for Staphylococcus aureus
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Development and Assessment of Intracellular Infection Models for Staphylococcus aureus

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Antimicrobial Peptide Resistance Mechanism Contributes to Staphylococcus aureus Infection

Gordon Y C Cheung1, Emilie L Fisher1, Joshua W McCausland1

  • 1Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryl.

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|January 20, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are key to innate immunity. This study shows Staphylococcus aureus resistance mechanisms, like the Pmt transporter, are crucial for virulence during skin infections, directly impacting bacterial survival.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are vital components of the innate immune system.
  • Bacterial resistance to AMPs may limit their therapeutic use, but direct evidence of its role in infection is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of bacterial AMP resistance mechanisms in host defense and infection.
  • To determine if AMP resistance contributes to Staphylococcus aureus virulence.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated the function of the Staphylococcus aureus Pmt ABC transporter.
  • Assessed the role of Pmt in bacterial survival against human AMPs and neutrophil killing.
  • Evaluated the contribution of Pmt to virulence in a murine skin infection model.

Main Results:

  • The Pmt ABC transporter in Staphylococcus aureus confers resistance to human AMPs.
  • Pmt protects bacteria from killing by human neutrophils.
  • Pmt is essential for Staphylococcus aureus virulence in a skin infection model, in an AMP-dependent manner.

Conclusions:

  • AMP resistance mechanisms, exemplified by the Pmt transporter, play a significant role in bacterial pathogenesis.
  • This provides direct evidence for the importance of AMP resistance during infection.
  • Targeting AMP resistance could be a viable therapeutic strategy against bacterial infections.

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