Synergistic Effects of Bacteriophage vB_Eco4-M7 and Selected Antibiotics on the Biofilm Formed by Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli

Abstract

Apart from antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria, the formation of biofilms is a feature that makes bacterial infections especially difficulty to treat. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains are dangerous pathogens, causing severe infections in humans, and capable of biofilm production. We have reported previously the identification and characterization of the vB_Eco4-M7 bacteriophage, infecting various STEC strains. It was suggested that this phage might be potentially used in phage therapy against these bacteria. Here, we tested the effects of vB_Eco4-M7 alone or in a phage cocktail with another STEC-infecting phage, and/or in a combination with different antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and rifampicin) on biofilm formed by a model STEC strain, named E. coli O157:H7 (ST2-8624). The vB_Eco4-M7 phage appeared effective in anti-biofilm action in all these experimental conditions (2–3-fold reduction of the biofilm density, and 2–3 orders of magnitude reduction of the number of bacterial cells). However, the highest efficiency in reducing a biofilm’s density and number of bacterial cells was observed when phage infection preceded antibiotic treatment (6-fold reduction of the biofilm density, and 5–6 orders of magnitude reduction of the number of bacterial cells). Previous reports indicated that the use of antibiotics to treat STEC-caused infections might be dangerous due to the induction of Shiga toxin-converting prophages from bacterial genomes under stress conditions caused by antibacterial agents. We found that ciprofloxacin was almost as efficient in inducing prophages from the E. coli O15:H7 (ST2-8624) genome as a classical inducer, mitomycin C, while no detectable prophage induction could be observed in rifampicin-treated STEC cells. Therefore, we conclude the latter antibiotic or similarly acting compounds might be candidate(s) as effective and safe drug(s) when used in combination with phage therapy to combat STEC-mediated infections.

Indole Derivatives Bearing Imidazole, Benzothiazole-2-Thione or Benzoxazole-2-Thione Moieties—Synthesis, Structure and Evaluation of Their Cytoprotective, Antioxidant, Antibacterial and Fungicidal Activities

“…The bacteria selected for this study ( Bacillus subtilis , Micrococcus luteus , Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas fluorescens ) belong to the model species, due to their widespread occurrence in the natural environment, being a natural component of the human opportunistic microbiome [ 43 , 44 , 45 ].…”

Synthesis, Structure and Biological Activity of Indole–Imidazole Complexes with ZnCl2: Can Coordination Enhance the Functionality of Bioactive Ligands?

“…The best-known model bacterium is Escherichia coli . Some strains of E. coli can cause the development of many diseases in humans, causing mainly gastrointestinal infections [ 51 ]. Pseudomonas fluorescens is an aerobic gram-negative rod.…”

Short-Term Outcomes of Phage-Antibiotic Combination Treatment in Adult Patients with Periprosthetic Hip Joint Infection

“…Although we did not analyze microbial strains for their ability to form biofilm, the possibility of biofilm formation cannot be completely ruled out, especially given the duration of infection in the studied patients before revision surgery. In this case, microorganisms present in various biofilm layers can be affected only by bacteriophages possessing special enzymes to penetrate the biofilm, destroy its lipopolysaccharide structure [ 22 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ], and eliminate persistent bacteria inside the biofilm [ 63 ].…”