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
Microbiology
Juan M. Belardinelli, Wei Li, Charlotte Avanzi, Shiva K. Angala, Elena Lian, Crystal J. Wiersma, Zuzana Palcekova, Kevin H. Martin, Bhanupriya Angala, Vinicius C. N. de Moura, Callan Kerns, Victoria Jones, Mercedes Gonzalez-Juarrero, Rebecca M. Davidson, Jerry A. Nick, Bradley R. Borlee, Mary Jackson
Summary: Characterizing Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABSC) biofilms under host-relevant conditions revealed substantial differences in composition, gene expression profile, and stress response compared to biofilms grown in standard laboratory media. Key extracellular matrix constituents holding clusters of bacilli together included eDNA, mannose-and glucose-containing glycans, and phospholipids. Environmental cues had no significant effect on SCFM-grown biofilms, likely due to the nutrient-rich environment allowing MABSC to cope with stresses in various ways. Potential new targets for adjunct therapeutics targeting MABSC biofilms in persons with CF were identified.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arianna Lopez, Carolyn Shoen, Michael Cynamon, Dionysia Dimitrakopoulou, Matthieu Paiola, Martin S. Pavelka, Jacques Robert
Summary: The study demonstrated the use of Xenopus laevis tadpoles as a complementary model for investigating persistent Mab infection and pathogenesis. Both S and R Mab morphotypes were able to disseminate in tadpole tissues for up to 40 days, with the R morphotype showing higher bacterial load. Intracardiac injection of S Mab led to significantly higher mortality compared to injection of the R Mab form.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Abrar Senhaji-Kacha, Jaime Esteban, Meritxell Garcia-Quintanilla
Summary: The global rise of Mycobacterium abscessus infections, especially pulmonary infections, presents challenges due to high antibiotic resistance. Phage therapy, using viruses to target bacteria, shows promise as a potential treatment option with positive results in recent compassionate use cases.Various recommendations for future phage therapy include exploring new phages, using phage cocktails for broader specificity and to combat resistance, combining phages with antibiotics for synergistic effects, and considering the convenience of this strategy for cystic fibrosis patients.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juan M. Belardinelli, Wei Li, Kevin H. Martin, Michael J. Zeiler, Elena Lian, Charlotte Avanzi, Crystal J. Wiersma, Tuan Vu Nguyen, Bhanupriya Angala, Vinicius C. N. de Moura, Victoria Jones, Bradley R. Borlee, Christian Melander, Mary Jackson
Summary: Biofilm growth is a major challenge in treating Mycobacterium abscessus infections. The compound AB-2-29 was discovered to inhibit the formation of M. abscessus biofilms, and its activity is enhanced by the addition of zinc. Mechanistic studies indicate that AB-2-29 functions through a distinct mechanism from other 2-aminoimidazole compounds reported.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bing Li, Yongjie Zhang, Qi Guo, Siyuan He, Junsheng Fan, Liyun Xu, Zhemin Zhang, Wenye Wu, Haiqing Chu
Summary: The study investigated the anti-biofilm activity of the antibacterial peptide RP557 against Mycobacterium abscessus, demonstrating that RP557 significantly increased the antibiotic sensitivity of the bacteria in biofilms. Scanning electron microscope and fluorescence staining were used to visualize the inhibitory effects of RP557 on biofilm formation and increased bacterial death.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Vinicius C. N. de Moura, Deepshikha Verma, Isobel Everall, Karen P. Brown, Juan M. Belardinelli, Crystal Shanley, Megan Stapleton, Julian Parkhill, R. Andres Floto, Diane J. Ordway, Mary Jackson
Summary: The presence of Msp-type porins in MABSC infections is associated with virulence and resistance to biocides.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Kana Misawa, Tomoyasu Nishimura, Shoko Kashimura, Yuki Enoki, Kazuaki Taguchi, Shunsuke Uno, Yoshifumi Uwamino, Kazuaki Matsumoto, Naoki Hasegawa
Summary: This study investigated the effects of the combination of β-lactams and DBO β-lactamase inhibitors on MABC, and found that relebactam and nacubactam improved the efficacy of β-lactams against all MABC subspecies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Juan Manuel Belardinelli, Deepshikha Verma, Wei Li, Charlotte Avanzi, Crystal J. Wiersma, John T. Williams, Benjamin K. Johnson, Matthew Zimmerman, Nicholas Whittel, Bhanupriya Angala, Han Wang, Victoria Jones, Veronique Dartois, Vinicius C. N. de Moura, Mercedes Gonzalez-Juarrero, Camron Pearce, Alan R. Schenkel, Kenneth C. Malcolm, Jerry A. Nick, Susan A. Charman, Timothy N. C. Wells, Brendan K. Podell, Jonathan L. Vennerstrom, Diane J. Ordway, Robert B. Abramovitch, Mary Jackson
Summary: This study found that antimalarial drugs can serve as potent inhibitors of M. abscessus, offering potential for clinical treatment.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Deepak Chouhan, R. J. Retnakumar, T. Barani Devi, Sanjai Dharmaseelan, Sneha Mary Alexander, Krishnadas Devadas, Santanu Chattopadhyay, Gopinath Balakrish Nair, Madhavan Radhakrishna Pillai
Summary: Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus has the potential to colonize human gastric epithelium, and most of the gastric strains are resistant to clarithromycin due to point mutations in the erm (41) gene. Further genomic analysis is needed to identify other genes and mechanisms involved in high clarithromycin resistance in gastric M. abscessus subsp. abscessus.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Federica Rinaldi, Patrizia Nadia Hanieh, Simona Sennato, Federica De Santis, Jacopo Forte, Maurizio Fraziano, Stefano Casciardi, Carlotta Marianecci, Federico Bordi, Maria Carafa
Summary: Treatment of pulmonary infections caused by Mycobacterium abscessus is challenging due to the bacterium's natural resistance to antibiotics. Formulating rifampicin-loaded liposomes for lung delivery can help increase the local concentration of the drug and enhance its biological activity against intracellular mycobacteria. Overall, liposome formulation of rifampicin represents a promising strategy for combating Mycobacterium abscessus infections.
Article
Microbiology
Bettina Schulthess, Fatma Nur Akdogan Kittana, Rico Homke, Peter Sander
Summary: In this study, we investigated the distribution of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of bedaquiline and clofazimine for 61 clinical isolates of M. abscessus using different media and incubation times. Our findings demonstrate that incubation time and growth media play a critical role in determining the MIC. This information will be valuable for establishing clinical breakpoints for in vitro susceptibility testing of bedaquiline and clofazimine in M. abscessus.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Joseph O. Falkinham, Myra D. Williams
Summary: The study measured the desiccation tolerance of various strains of Mycobacterium, showing that some strains have a higher tolerance to dry conditions compared to others. In particular, M. chimaera strains showed high survival rates in Sorin 3T heater-coolers.
Article
Microbiology
Catherine Shelton, Matthew McNeil, Renee Allen, Lindsay Flint, Dara Russell, Bryan Berube, Aaron Korkegian, Yulia Ovechkina, Tanya Parish
Summary: By studying the mutations in specific genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we found that triazolopyrimidines can interact with these genes and confer resistance to the bacteria. These compounds deplete intracellular ATP levels and exhibit activity against intracellular bacteria, but have no effect on human mitochondrial respiration.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)