Increased Innate Immune Susceptibility in Hyperpigmented Bacteriophage-Resistant Mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

ABSTRACT: Bacteriophage (phage) therapy is an alternative to traditional antibiotic treatments that is particularly important for multidrug-resistant pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Unfortunately, phage resistance commonly arises during treatment as bacteria evolve to survive phage predation. During in vitro phage treatment of a P. aeruginosa-type strain, we observed the emergence of phage-resistant mutants with brown pigmentation that was indicative of pyomelanin. As increased pyomelanin (due to hmgA gene mutation) was recently associated with enhanced resistance to hydrogen peroxide and persistence in experimental lung infection, we questioned if therapeutic phage applications could inadvertently select for hypervirulent populations. Pyomelanogenic phage-resistant mutants

SUBMITTER: Menon ND 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9380547 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature