Bacterial-derived exopolysaccharides enhance antifungal drug tolerance in a cross-kingdom oral biofilm.

ABSTRACT: Fungal-bacterial interactions generate unique biofilms that cause many infections in humans. Candida albicans interact with Streptococcus mutans in dental biofilms associated with severe childhood tooth-decay, a prevalent pediatric oral disease. Current modalities are ineffective and primarily based on antimicrobial monotherapies despite the polymicrobial nature of the infection. Here, we show that the combination of clinically used topical antifungal fluconazole with povidone iodine (PI) can completely suppress C. albicans carriage and mixed-biofilm formation without increasing bacterial killing activity in vivo. We unexpectedly found that the inclusion of PI enhanced fluconazole efficacy by potently disrupting the assembly of a protective bacterial exopolysaccharide (EPS) matrix through

SUBMITTER: Kim D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5955968 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature