Review
Immunology
Michal Bar-Oz, Michal Meir, Daniel Barkan
Summary: Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are a group of diverse organisms that are increasingly recognized as pathogens. Among NTMs, Mycobacterium abscessus (Mabs) causes severe and difficult to treat infections. The knowledge of the mechanisms of virulence in Mabs is limited compared to that in M. tuberculosis (Mtb). This review provides a framework and knowledge base for researchers interested in studying the secretion of virulence-associated molecules in Mabs.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Josephine M. Bryant, Karen P. Brown, Sophie Burbaud, Isobel Everall, Juan M. Belardinelli, Daniela Rodriguez-Rincon, Dorothy M. Grogono, Chelsea M. Peterson, Deepshikha Verma, Ieuan E. Evans, Christopher Ruis, Aaron Weimann, Divya Arora, Sony Malhotra, Bridget Bannerman, Charlotte Passemar, Kerra Templeton, Gordon MacGregor, Kasim Jiwa, Andrew J. Fisher, Tom L. Blundell, Diane J. Ordway, Mary Jackson, Julian Parkhill, R. Andres Floto
Summary: The study suggests that epigenetic modifiers acquired through horizontal gene transfer can lead to sudden increases in the pathogenic potential of specific environmental clones, while allopatric parallel evolution during chronic lung infection promotes rapid increases in virulence. The findings indicate that constrained pathogenic evolution is observed while person-to-person transmission remains indirect.
Review
Microbiology
Shweta Parmar, Elitza I. Tocheva
Summary: Mycobacterium abscessus, a nontuberculosis mycobacterium, is associated with various nosocomial infections and respiratory disorders. The pathogenesis of M. abscessus is closely related to compositional changes in its cell envelope, including the decrease in presence of glycopeptidolipids and the presence of drug efflux pumps. Additionally, type VII secretion systems ESX-3 and ESX-4 have been implicated in host-pathogen interactions and virulence.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Gabrielle Froberg, Florian P. Maurer, Erja Chryssanthou, Louise Fernstrom, Hanaa Benmansour, Samira Boarbi, Anne Torunn Mengshoel, Peter Michael Keller, Miguel Viveiros, Diana Machado, Margaret M. Fitzgibbon, Simone Mok, Jim Werngren, Daniela Maria Cirillo, Fernando Alcaide, Hanne-Leena Hyyrylainen, Alexandra Aubry, Sonke Andres, Darshaalini Nadarajan, Erik Svensson, John Turnidge, Christian G. Giske, Gunnar Kahlmeter, Emmanuelle Cambau, Jakko van Ingen, Thomas Schon
Summary: The study evaluated the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) distributions of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) to establish antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) breakpoints. MIC distributions for drugs against Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and Mycobacterium abscessus (MAB) were collected from 12 laboratories. Epidemiological cut-off values (ECOFFs) and tentative ECOFFs (TECOFFs) were determined, highlighting the need for further method refinement in establishing clinical breakpoints for NTM.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Uday S. Ganapathy, Martin Gengenbacher, Thomas Dick
Summary: Benzoxaboroles, including the clinical candidate epetraborole, have shown activity against Mycobacterium abscessus, expanding the options for developing benzoxaborole-based candidates to treat M. abscessus lung disease.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Charmie K. Vang, Stephanie N. Dawrs, Nicole M. Oberlag, Anah E. Gilmore, Nabeeh A. Hasan, Jennifer R. Honda
Summary: Intraspecies variation between Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus isolates results in differential infectivity in immune cells and resistance to innate defenses.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Alan A. Schmalstig, Andrew Wiggins, Debbie Badillo, Katherine S. Wetzel, Graham F. Hatfull, Miriam Braunstein
Summary: Researchers have found that bacteriophages can enter mammalian cells and infect and kill intracellular M. abscessus. This discovery highlights the potential of phage therapy for treating intracellular bacterial infections, specifically M. abscessus.
Article
Microbiology
Mylene Gorzynski, Tiana Week, Tiana Jaramillo, Elizaveta Dzalamidze, Lia Danelishvili
Summary: Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus (MAB) is a fast-growing nontuberculous mycobacterium causing pulmonary infections in immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals. Treatment of MAB infections is challenging due to its natural resistance to most available antibiotics. This study identified MAB genes that play a key role in intrinsic mechanisms to antimicrobials, demonstrating that targeting components of the drug efflux system can significantly improve the efficacy of current antibiotics.
Article
Microbiology
Sarah E. M. Born, Matthew J. Reichlen, Iona L. Bartek, Jeanne B. Benoit, Daniel N. Frank, Martin I. Voskuil
Summary: Bacteria use population heterogeneity to adapt to different environmental challenges. This study describes multiple morphological variants in M. smegmatis and M. abscessus, and observes a shift from smooth to rough form in extended static culture. The presence of an aggregated microenvironment plays a role in this shift. Variants show differences in growth, biofilm formation, cell wall composition, and drug tolerance. Deletion of the global regulator lsr2 shifts the intermediate morphotype of M. smegmatis to a smooth form, but does not fully replicate the naturally generated smooth morphotype. Rough forms are associated with higher invasiveness and worse infection outcomes.
Article
Immunology
Julia Y. Kam, Kathryn Wright, Warwick J. Britton, Stefan H. Oehlers
Summary: Mycobacterium abscessus infections are difficult to treat due to complex antibiotic resistance. This study used a zebrafish-M. abscessus model to identify potential host-directed therapies, finding that anti-angiogenic and vascular normalizing therapies were effective against the infection.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Dereje A. Negatu, Ruben Gonzalez del Rio, Monica Cacho-Izquierdo, David Barros-Aguirre, Joel Lelievre, Joaquin Rullas, Patricia Casado, Uday S. Ganapathy, Matthew D. Zimmerman, Martin Gengenbacher, Veronique Dartois, Thomas Dick
Summary: The combination of tebipenem and avibactam, both belonging to the beta-lactam class, exhibits strong bactericidal activity against Mycobacterium abscessus in vitro. In a mouse model of M. abscessus lung infection, the combination of their respective oral prodrugs, tebipenem-pivoxil and avibactam ARX-1796, showed efficacy. These findings suggest that tebipenem-avibactam is a promising oral drug candidate for the treatment of M. abscessus pulmonary disease and could guide the design of clinical trials.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Wassihun Wedajo Aragaw, Christine Roubert, Evelyne Fontaine, Sophie Lagrange, Matthew D. Zimmerman, Veronique Dartois, Martin Gengenbacher, Thomas Dick
Summary: Cyclohexyl-griselimycin, a preclinical candidate for treating tuberculosis, has shown activity against the drug-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus in vitro and in a mouse model. This discovery provides a new lead compound for M. abscessus drug development and supports the strategy of screening chemical matter from TB drug discovery to expedite the discovery of novel antibiotics against M. abscessus.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adam M. Crowe, Jessica M. C. Krekhno, Kirstin L. Brown, Jayesh A. Kulkarni, Katherine C. Yam, Lindsay D. Eltis
Summary: Mycobacterium abscessus contains genes predicted to encode two steroid catabolic pathways, and unlike other similar bacteria, it lacks genes encoding MCP hydrolase. The study shows that cholesterol is essential for the growth of the bacteria and the catabolic pathways are not solely dependent on coenzyme A sequestration.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Abdeldjalil Madani, Dereje A. Negatu, Abdellatif El Marrouni, Randy R. Miller, Christopher W. Boyce, Nicholas Murgolo, Christopher J. Bungard, Matthew D. Zimmerman, Veronique Dartois, Martin Gengenbacher, David B. Olsen, Thomas Dick
Summary: Tricyclic pyrrolopyrimidines (TPPs) are a new class of antibacterials that inhibit the ATPase activity of DNA gyrase to combat Mycobacterium abscessus.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Carmen Molina-Torres, Carlos Pedraza-Rodriguez, Lucio Vera-Cabrera, Jorge Ocampo-Candiani, Catalina Rivas-Morales, Ezequiel Viveros-Valdez
Summary: Tuberculosis (TB) is still a major global health problem, with antibiotic-resistant strains posing the greatest challenge to its treatment. Additionally, the prevalence of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in humans has significantly increased in recent years. This study aims to investigate the antimycobacterial effects of extracts and major compounds from Hedeoma drummondii on both clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and NTM strains. The methanolic extract exhibited the best activity against M. tuberculosis, inhibiting 10 out of 12 strains at a concentration < 2500 mu g/mL, while the hexanic extract showed the best activity against NTM, inhibiting 8 out of 10 strains at <= 625 mu g/mL. Furthermore, there was a strong positive correlation between the antimycobacterial activity of pulegone and the hexanic extract against NTM strains, suggesting its potential as a predictive marker for these microorganisms.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeremie Rosain, Anna-Lena Neehus, Jeremy Manry, Rui Yang, Jeremie Le Pen, Wassim Daher, Zhiyong Liu, Yi-Hao Chan, Natalia Tahuil, Ozden Turel, Mathieu Bourgey, Masato Ogishi, Jean-Marc Doisne, Helena M. Izquierdo, Takayoshi Shirasaki, Tom Le Voyer, Antoine Guerin, Paul Bastard, Marcela Moncada-Velez, Ji Eun Han, Taushif Khan, Franck Rapaport, Seon-Hui Hong, Andrew Cheung, Kathrin Haake, Barbara C. Mindt, Laura Perez, Quentin Philippot, Danyel Lee, Peng Zhang, Darawan Rinchai, Fatima Al Ali, Manar Mahmoud Ahmad Ata, Mahbuba Rahman, Jessica N. Peel, Soren Heissel, Henrik Molina, Yasemin Kendir-Demirkol, Rasheed Bailey, Shuxiang Zhao, Jonathan Bohlen, Mathieu Mancini, Yoann Seeleuthner, Marie Roelens, Lazaro Lorenzo, Camille Soudee, Maria Elvira Josefina Paz, Maria Laura Gonzalez, Mohamed Jeljeli, Jean Soulier, Serge Romana, Anne-Sophie L'Honneur, Marie Materna, Ruben Martinez-Barricarte, Mathieu Pochon, Carmen Oleaga-Quintas, Alexandre Michev, Melanie Migaud, Romain Levy, Marie-Alexandra Alyanakian, Flore Rozenberg, Carys A. Croft, Guillaume Vogt, Jean-Francois Emile, Laurent Kremer, Cindy S. Ma, Jorg H. Fritz, Stanley M. Lemon, Andras N. Spaan, Nicolas Manel, Laurent Abel, Margaret R. MacDonald, Stephanie Boisson-Dupuis, Nico Marr, Stuart G. Tangye, James P. Di Santo, Qian Zhang, Shen-Ying Zhang, Charles M. Rice, Vivien Beziat, Nico Lachmann, David Langlais, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Philippe Gros, Jacinta Bustamante
Summary: Inborn errors of IFN-g-dependent macrophagic immunity cause mycobacterial diseases, while inborn errors of IFN-a/b-dependent intrinsic immunity lead to viral diseases. Children with complete IRF1 deficiency have early-onset, life-threatening diseases caused by weakly virulent mycobacteria and related intramacrophagic pathogens. Their IFN-a/b-dependent antiviral immunity is largely normal, but their IFN-g-dependent macrophagic immunity is impaired.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Marianna Stampolaki, Satish R. Malwal, Nadine Alvarez-Cabrera, Zijun Gao, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Svitlana O. Babii, Nikolaos Naziris, Andre Rey-Cibati, Mariana Valladares-Delgado, Andreea L. Turcu, Kyung-Hwa Baek, Phan Trong-Nhat, Hyeryon Lee, Mattheo Alcaraz, Savannah Watson, Mariette van der Watt, Dina Coertzen, Natasa Efstathiou, Maria Chountoulesi, Carolyn M. Shoen, Ioannis P. Papanastasiou, Jose Brea, Michael H. Cynamon, Lyn-Marie Birkholtz, Laurent Kremer, Joo Hwan No, Santiago Vazquez, Gustavo Benaim, Costas Demetzos, Helen I. Zgurskaya, Thomas Dick, Eric Oldfield, Antonios D. Kolocouris
Summary: SQ109 is a potent tuberculosis drug candidate that inhibits MmpL3 transporter and cell wall biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It also shows activity against bacteria and protozoan parasites. In this study, 18 analogs of SQ109 were synthesized and tested against various microorganisms. Some analogs showed more activity than SQ109 against drug-resistant M. abscessus and P. falciparum. These analogs also exhibited low toxicity to human cells, making them potential antimalarial drug leads. Surface plasmon resonance and differential scanning calorimetry were used to study the binding of inhibitors to MmpL3 and lipid membranes, respectively.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jona Karam, Fabien P. Blanchet, Eric Vives, Prisca Boisguerin, Yves-Marie Boudehen, Laurent Kremer, Wassim Daher
Summary: It has been discovered that neutralizing anti-CD81 antibodies and deletion of the large extracellular loop (LEL) of CD81 significantly reduce the uptake of Mab by macrophages. Saturation of Mab with soluble GST-CD81-LEL or CD81-LEL-derived peptides also decreases the internalization of the bacteria. The study unveils AhpC as a major interactant of CD81-LEL, and pre-exposure of macrophages with soluble AhpC inhibits mycobacterial uptake while overexpression of AhpC in Mab enhances its internalization. These findings highlight the previously unexplored role of CD81/AhpC in promoting the uptake of pathogenic mycobacteria by host cells.
Article
Microbiology
Francoise Roquet-Baneres, Mattheo Alcaraz, Claire Hamela, Jan Abendroth, Thomas E. Edwards, Laurent Kremer
Summary: Researchers have discovered that a compound called NITD-916 displays potent antimicrobial activity against M. fortuitum both in vitro and in vivo. This compound inhibits the growth of M. fortuitum by targeting InhA(MFO) and shows promising effectiveness against drug resistance. This study suggests that NITD-916 could be a potential drug for the treatment of M. fortuitum pulmonary diseases.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Mattheo Alcaraz, Thomas E. Edwards, Laurent Kremer
Summary: The treatment options for Mycobacterium abscessus infections are limited. The authors review the potential drug targets in M. abscessus related to the mycolic acid biosynthetic pathway and discuss the activity of inhibitors targeting MmpL3 and InhA. They highlight the potential of NITD-916 as a direct InhA inhibitor for the treatment of multidrug resistant M. abscessus infections.
EXPERT REVIEW OF ANTI-INFECTIVE THERAPY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Wassim Daher, Laurent Kremer
Summary: Mycobacterium abscessus relies on high levels of biotin biosynthesis during infection to adapt to the alkaline lung airway environment by remodelling cell envelope through fatty acid changes that increase fluidity.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Albertus Viljoen, Alain Vercellone, Myriam Chimen, Gerald Gaibelet, Serge Mazeres, Jerome Nigou, Yves F. Dufrene
Summary: The pathogenic bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis evades the immune system by binding to the C-type lectin DC-SIGN on dendritic cells. Our multidisciplinary study combining atomic force microscopy, Forster resonance energy transfer, and bioassays unravels the molecular mechanism behind the selective recognition of this receptor. We found that the distribution of DC-SIGN ligands differs between MyMTBC species, with dense nanodomains observed on M. bovis BCG. Upon bacteria-host cell adhesion, ligand nanodomains induce the recruitment and clustering of DC-SIGN, highlighting the importance of ligand clustering in pathogen recognition.
Article
Microbiology
John Jairo Aguilera-Correa, Yves-Marie Boudehen, Laurent Kremer
Summary: By analyzing two-dimensional images of fluorescent or Congo red-stained M. abscessus colony-biofilms grown on a membrane, we found that colony-biofilms of smooth and rough variants of M. abscessus responded differently to rifabutin and bedaquiline, highlighting the importance of morphotype in addressing antibiotic treatment for biofilm-related infections in patients.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tonia Dargham, Ivy Mallick, Laurent Kremer, Pierre Santucci, Stephane Canaan
Summary: This article presents a computational analysis of the core proteome associated with intrabacterial lipid inclusions (ILI) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The study provides insights into ILI metabolism and tuberculosis pathogenesis, making it a valuable resource for the mycobacterial community.
Article
Microbiology
Yves-Marie Boudehen, Yara Tasrini, John Jairo Aguilera-Correa, Mattheo Alcaraz, Laurent Kremer
Summary: Mycobacterium abscessus is a multi-drug-resistant non-tuberculous mycobacterial species causing tuberculosis-like lung infections. This study developed a method to silence the expression of specific genes in M. abscessus during host infection, demonstrating the essentiality of mmpL3 for bacterial growth.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Marianna Stampolaki, Satish R. Malwal, Nadine Alvarez-Cabrera, Zijun Gao, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Svitlana O. Babii, Nikolaos Naziris, Andre Rey-Cibati, Mariana Valladares-Delgado, Andreea L. Turcu, Kyung-Hwa Baek, Trong-Nhat Phan, Hyeryon Lee, Mattheo Alcaraz, Savannah Watson, Mariette van der Watt, Dina Coertzen, Natasa Efstathiou, Maria Chountoulesi, Carolyn M. Shoen, Ioannis P. Papanastasiou, Jose Brea, Michael H. Cynamon, Lyn-Marie Birkholtz, Laurent Kremer, Joo Hwan No, Santiago Vazquez, Gustavo Benaim, Costas Demetzos, Helen I. Zgurskaya, Thomas Dick, Eric Oldfield, Antonios D. Kolocouris
Summary: SQ109 is a potent tuberculosis drug candidate that targets cell wall biosynthesis by inhibiting MmpL3 transporter. It also shows activity against bacteria and protozoan parasites. By synthesizing analogs of SQ109, higher activity against drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium abscessus and Plasmodium falciparum was found, making them potential new drug leads. Binding studies suggest that MmpL3 is not a major target in mycobacteria. Rating: 7/10.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Wassim Daher, Virginia Pichler, Jona Karam, Olivier Neyrolles, Laurent Kremer
Summary: This review summarizes the complexity of interactions between mycobacterial ligands and host receptors during infection and pathogenesis. It highlights the recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns by phagocytic pattern recognition receptors as the first step of the infection process. It discusses the downstream effects of receptor-mediated pathways in promoting mycobacterial survival or activating host immune defenses, and the potential of mycobacterial surface molecules as therapeutic targets, diagnostic markers, or vaccine candidates.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shekhar, Mattheo Alcaraz, Pule Seboletswe, Neha Manhas, Laurent Kremer, Parvesh Singh, Vipan Kumar
Summary: Triclosan azo-adducts have shown significant activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria. The most potent compound in the series exhibited higher activity against drug-resistant strains and lower cytotoxicity to human cells. These compounds may work through a distinct mechanism.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Telmo O. Paiva, Albertus Viljoen, Thaina M. da Costa, Joan A. Geoghegan, Yves F. Dufrene
Summary: Attachment of Staphylococcus aureus to human skin corneocyte cells is mediated by bacterial cell-surface protein adhesins, including fibronectin-binding protein B (FnBPB). Using single-molecule experiments, it is demonstrated that FnBPB binds to corneodesmosin (CDSN) on atopic dermatitis patient corneocytes through a sophisticated two-site mechanism.
ACS NANOSCIENCE AU
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura Paulowski, Katherine S. H. Beckham, Matt D. Johansen, Laura Berneking, Nhi Van, Yonatan Degefu, Sonja Staack, Flor Vasquez Sotomayor, Lucia Asar, Holger Rohde, Bree B. Aldridge, Martin Aepfelbacher, Annabel Parret, Matthias Wilmanns, Laurent Kremer, Keith Combrink, Florian P. Maurer
Summary: This study explored the modification of rifamycin SV to block enzymatic inactivation by Arr(Mab), a gene conferring resistance to rifampicin in Mycobacterium abscessus infections. A new rifamycin derivative called 5j showed comparable antimicrobial activity to amikacin and exhibited synergistic effects with amikacin and azithromycin in eradicating M. abscessus in human macrophages.