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Published on: February 23, 2021
Identification of antibiotic induced persister cells in Streptococcus agalactiae
Nanna Boll Greve1, Hans-Christian Slotved2, John Elmerdahl Olsen1
1Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
Abstract:
Antibiotic persistence is a phenomenon, where a small fraction of a bacterial population expresses a phenotypic variation that allows them to survive antibiotic treatment, which is lethal to the rest of the population. These cells are called persisters cells, and their occurrence has been associated with recurrent disease. Streptococcus agalactiae is a human pathobiont, able to cause invasive infections, and recurrent infections have been reported to occur in both newborns and adults. In this study, we demonstrated that S. agalactiae NEM316 can form persister cells when exposed to antibiotics from different classes. The frequency of persister cell formation was dependent on bacterial growth phase and the class of antibiotics. The ability to form persister cells in response to penicillin was shown to be a general trait among different clinical S. agalactiae isolates, independent of sero- and sequence-type. Taken together, this study shows the existence of antibiotic tolerant S. agalactiae persister cells, which may explain why this bacterial species frequently persists after treatment of invasive infection and can be associated with recurrent disease.
Insights
Antibiotic persister cells in Streptococcus agalactiae can survive antibiotic treatment, potentially explaining recurrent infections. This trait is common across clinical isolates and influenced by growth phase and antibiotic type.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Antimicrobial Resistance
Background:
- Antibiotic persistence involves a small bacterial fraction surviving lethal antibiotic doses.
- Persister cells are linked to recurrent infections, posing a clinical challenge.
- Streptococcus agalactiae causes invasive infections, with reported recurrence in neonates and adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the formation of persister cells in Streptococcus agalactiae.
- To determine factors influencing persister cell frequency in S. agalactiae.
- To assess the prevalence of persister cell formation in clinical isolates.
Main Methods:
- Exposure of S. agalactiae NEM316 to various antibiotic classes.
- Analysis of persister cell formation across different bacterial growth phases.
- Testing penicillin-induced persister cell formation in diverse clinical S. agalactiae isolates.
Main Results:
- S. agalactiae forms persister cells when exposed to different antibiotic classes.
- Persister cell formation frequency is dependent on bacterial growth phase and antibiotic class.
- Penicillin-induced persister cell formation is a conserved trait in clinical S. agalactiae isolates.
Conclusions:
- Antibiotic-tolerant S. agalactiae persister cells exist.
- The presence of persister cells may explain treatment persistence and recurrent infections.
- This finding has implications for managing S. agalactiae infections.
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