Cellular Growth Arrest and Efflux Pumps Are Associated With Antibiotic Persisters in Streptococcus pyogenes Induced in Biofilm-Like Environments.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus-GAS) is an important pathogen for humans. GAS has been associated with severe and invasive diseases. Despite the fact that these bacteria remain universally susceptible to penicillin, therapeutic failures have been reported in some GAS infections. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain these antibiotic-unresponsive infections; however, none of them have fully elucidated this phenomenon. In this study, we show that GAS strains have the ability to form antimicrobial persisters when inoculated on abiotic surfaces to form a film of bacterial agglomerates (biofilm-like environment). Our data suggest that efflux pumps were possibly involved in this phenomenon. In fact, gene expression assays by real-time qRT-PCR showed upregulati

SUBMITTER: Martini CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8490960 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature