Name: Stress response within the host affects antibiotic persistence and treatment outcome in Staphylococcus aureus infections
Keywords: Antibiotic persistence

Dataset Information

Stress response within the host affects antibiotic persistence and treatment outcome in Staphylococcus aureus infections

ABSTRACT: Staphylococcus aureus can cause severe invasive infections that require prolonged antibiotic treatment. Although S. aureus can easily acquire antibiotic resistance, even fully susceptible bacteria can persist and survive antibiotic therapy, thus complicating treatment. These so-called persisters are phenotypic variants of bacteria characterized by an arrested-growth phenotype that can tolerate high concentrations of chemotherapeutics and are associated with chronic and recurrent infections. Here, we show that S. aureus recovered directly from infection sites, displayed an increased bacterial lag-phase heterogeneity, forming more non-stable small colonies, indicating the presence of dormant bacteria. Infection modelling showed that host-mediated stress, including acidic pH, neutrophil exposure and murine abscesses, as well as antibiotic treatment, promoted formation of persisters both in vitro and in vivo. Proteomics and RNA-sequencing revealed molecular changes in bacteria in response to acidic stress leading to an overall more virulent population. However, after persister-enrichment, S. aureus displayed downregulation of pathways involved in virulence, cell division, and DNA replication, while ribosomal proteins, nucleotide-, and amino acid- metabolic pathways were upregulated, suggesting their requirement to fuel and maintain the persister phenotype. We demonstrate that decreased aconitase activity and ATP-levels as well as accumulation of insoluble proteins correlated with dormancy and growth reactivation cycles. Combination of antibiotics with retinoid derivatives, especially CD1530, significantly reduced both persisters and total bacterial load in a murine infection model. Our study provides an in-depth characterization of S. aureus persisters and shows that treatment failure due to antibiotic persistence could be addressed by using retinoid derivatives in combination with conventional antibiotics.

INSTRUMENT(S): Q Exactive HF

ORGANISM(S): Staphylococcus Aureus

SUBMITTER: Thomas Bock

LAB HEAD: Alexander Schmidt

PROVIDER: PXD018372 | Pride | 2021-09-09

REPOSITORIES: Pride

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Publications

Molecular reprogramming and phenotype switching in Staphylococcus aureus lead to high antibiotic persistence and affect therapy success.

Huemer Markus M Mairpady Shambat Srikanth S Bergada-Pijuan Judith J Söderholm Sandra S Boumasmoud Mathilde M Vulin Clément C Gómez-Mejia Alejandro A Antelo Varela Minia M Tripathi Vishwachi V Götschi Sandra S Marques Maggio Ewerton E Hasse Barbara B Brugger Silvio D SD Bumann Dirk D Schuepbach Reto A RA Zinkernagel Annelies S AS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20210201 7

Staphylococcus aureus causes invasive infections and easily acquires antibiotic resistance. Even antibiotic-susceptible S. aureus can survive antibiotic therapy and persist, requiring prolonged treatment and surgical interventions. These so-called persisters display an arrested-growth phenotype, tolerate high antibiotic concentrations, and are associated with chronic and recurrent infections. To characterize these persisters, we assessed S. aureus recovered directly from a p ...[more]

PMID: 33574060

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Project description:Staphylococcus aureus causes invasive infections and easily acquires antibiotic resistances. Even antibiotic susceptible S. aureus can survive antibiotic therapy and persist, requiring prolonged treatment and surgical interventions. These so-called persisters display an arrested-growth phenotype, tolerate high antibiotic concentrations and are associated with chronic and recurrent infections. To characterize these persisters, we assessed S. aureus recovered directly from a patient suffering from a persistent infection. We show that host-mediated stress, including acidic-pH, abscesses-environment, and antibiotic exposure promoted persister formation in-vitro and in-vivo. Multi-omics analysis identified molecular changes in S. aureus in response to acid-stress leading to an overall virulent population. However, further analysis of a persister-enriched population revealed major molecular reprogramming in persisters including downregulation of virulence and cell division, and upregulation of ribosomal proteins, nucleotide-, and amino acid- metabolic pathways, suggesting their requirement to fuel and maintain the persister phenotype and highlighting that persisters are not completely metabolically inactive. Additionally, decreased aconitase activity and ATP-levels and accumulation of insoluble proteins involved in transcription, translation and energy-production correlated with persistence in S. aureus, underpinning the molecular mechanisms that drive the persister phenotype. Upon regrowth, these persisters regained their virulence potential and metabolically active phenotype including reduction of insoluble proteins, exhibiting a reversible state, crucial for recurrent infections. We further show that a targeted anti-persister combination therapy using retinoid derivatives and antibiotics significantly reduced lag-phase heterogeneity and persisters in a murine infection model. Our results provide molecular insights into persisters and help explain why persistent S. aureus infections are so difficult-to-treat.

Dataset Information

Stress response within the host affects antibiotic persistence and treatment outcome in Staphylococcus aureus infections

Publications

Molecular reprogramming and phenotype switching in <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> lead to high antibiotic persistence and affect therapy success.

Similar Datasets

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