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Phage Digestion of a Bacterial Capsule Imparts Resistance to Two Antibiotic Agents

Cheng-Hung Luo1,2, Ya-Han Hsu1, Wen-Jui Wu3

  • 1Department of Chemistry, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.

Microorganisms
|April 30, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Bacteriophage tail fiber proteins degrade bacterial exopolysaccharides, unexpectedly increasing resistance to colistin in Acinetobacter baumannii. This finding highlights potential clinical risks when using these proteins against multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Bacteriophages utilize specialized proteins to infect bacteria.
  • Tail fiber proteins possess polysaccharide depolymerase activity, degrading bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPS).
  • EPS degradation impacts bacterial susceptibility to antimicrobial agents.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the therapeutic potential of bacteriophage tail fiber proteins against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.
  • To explore the effects of EPS degradation on bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics and lytic peptides.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized bacteriophage tail fiber protein for treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii.
  • Assessed polysaccharide depolymerase activity of the tail fiber protein.
  • Evaluated changes in bacterial susceptibility to endolysin-derived peptides and colistin post-EPS degradation.

Main Results:

  • Tail fiber protein successfully degraded exopolysaccharides (EPS) in Acinetobacter baumannii.
  • EPS degradation altered bacterial susceptibility to endolysin-derived peptides.
  • Degraded cells exhibited temporary resistance to colistin, a last-resort antibiotic.

Conclusions:

  • Bacteriophage tail fiber proteins can induce temporary antibiotic resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii by modifying the cell wall.
  • This phenomenon poses potential clinical risks for treating multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections.
  • Further research is needed to understand and mitigate these risks.
Keywords:
Acinetobacter baumanniiantibiotic-resistancebacteriophage therapylytic phagephage-antibiotic synergy

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