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Metabolites derived from bacterial isolates of the human skin microbiome inhibit Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation
Le, Viet Hoang King, Tetyana Wuerzberger, Breanna Bauer, Olivia R. Carver, Megan N. Chan, Tiffany S. Henson, Annabeth L. Hubbard, Grace K. Kopadze, Tamar Patterson, Claire F.
Le, Viet Hoang
King, Tetyana
Wuerzberger, Breanna
Bauer, Olivia R.
Carver, Megan N.
Chan, Tiffany S.
Henson, Annabeth L.
Hubbard, Grace K.
Kopadze, Tamar
Patterson, Claire F.
Abstract
The human skin microbiome is a diverse ecosystem that can help prevent infections by producing biomolecules and peptides that inhibit growth and virulence of bacterial pathogens. Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen responsible for diseases that range from acute skin and soft tissue infections to life-threatening septicemia. Its ability to form biofilms is a key virulence factor contributing to its success as a pathogen as well as to its increased antimicrobial resistance. Here, we investigated the ability of bacterial skin commensals to produce molecules that inhibit S. aureus biofilm formation. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) identified 77 human skin microbiome bacterial isolates from Staphylococcus and Bacillus genera. Metabolites from cell-free concentrated media (CFCM) from 26 representative isolates were evaluated for their ability to inhibit biofilm formation by both methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) S. aureus strains. CFCM, derived from most of the isolates, inhibited biofilm formation to varying extents but did not inhibit planktonic growth of S. aureus. Size fractionation of the CFCM of three S. epidermidis isolates indicated that they produce different bioactive molecules. Cluster analysis, based on either MALDI-TOF mass spectra or whole-genome sequencing draft genomes, did not show clear clusters associated with levels of biofilm inhibition among S. epidermidis strains. Finally, similar biosynthetic gene clusters were detected in all S. epidermidis strains analyzed. These findings indicate that several bacterial constituents of the human skin microbiome display antibiofilm in vitro activity, warranting further investigation on their potential as novel therapeutic agents.
Description
A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.
Date
2025-9-2
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American Society for Microbiology
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Le VH, King T, Wuerzberger B, Bauer OR, Carver MN, Chan TS, Henson AL, Hubbard GK, Kopadze T, Patterson CF, McGraw SM, O'Hara A, Yarkosky EJ, LaMontagne MG, Hotze EM, Ferreira RBR. 2025. Metabolites derived from bacterial isolates of the human skin microbiome inhibit Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation. Microbiol Spectr 13:e01306-25.
https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01306-25