<i>S. aureus</i> Colonization, Biofilm Production, and Phage Susceptibility in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

• Main Authors: Karlis Racenis (Author), Juta Kroica (Author), Dace Rezevska (Author), Lauris Avotins (Author), Edgars Skuditis (Author), Anna Popova (Author), Ilze Puide (Author), Viktorija Kuzema (Author), Aivars Petersons (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Peritonitis caused by <i>Staphylococcus</i><i>aureus</i> is of major importance in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients due to its great virulence profile and biofilm formation ability. Bacteriophages are a potential tool to treat peritonitis resulting from biofilm-associated infections. We screened <i>S. aureus</i> colonization in 71 PD patients from the nasal cavity, groin, and PD exit-site regions and analyzed clinical outcomes in these patients. We performed biofilm-formation testing of different strains and compared the isolates of one patient to detect phenotypic differences in <i>S. aureus</i>. Phage cocktails were used to detect <i>S. aureus</i> in vitro susceptibility. An adaptation procedure was performed in cases of bacterial resistance. Around 30% of PD patients (<i>n</i> = 21) were found to be <i>S. aureus</i> carriers; from these, a total of 34 <i>S. aureus</i> strains were isolated, of which 61.8% (<i>n</i> = 21) produced a strong biofilm. Phenotypic differences in strain biofilm production were detected in eight patients out of ten. All strains were sensitive to commonly used antibiotics. Broadly positive phage lytic activity (100%) was observed in six cocktails out of seven, and bacterial resistance towards phages was overcome using adaptation. Overall phages showed a promising in vitro effect in biofilm-forming <i>S. aureus</i> strains.

Item Description

10.3390/antibiotics9090582
2079-6382