Evaluating the efficacy of endolysins and membrane permeabilizers against Vibrio parahaemolyticus in marine conditions

Abstract

Endolysins have garnered significant attention as a potential alternative to antibiotics in aquaculture, mainly for combating Vibrio spp., Gram-negative pathogens responsible for infectious outbreaks. However, endolysin effectiveness against Gram-negative bacteria is limited due to the outer membrane's poor permeability. The combat against marine pathogens poses an additional challenge of finding endolysins that retain their activity in high ionic strength conditions. Thus, this study aimed to demonstrate that certain endolysins retain muralytic activity in seawater and also evaluated outer membrane permeabilizers as endolysin adjuvants. The effectiveness of KZ144 and LysPA26 endolysins, along with EDTA and oregano essential oil, was evaluated against Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC-17802 in natural seawater. Results revealed the muralytic activity of both endolysins in seawater. However, the endolysins appeared to counteract the permeabilizers' effect during the initial bactericidal assays. Further investigations revealed that the observed effect was not antagonistic. After the permeabilizer action, V. parahaemolyticus likely used endolysins as a growth substrate. Endolysins may not play an indifferent role if they fail to exert a bactericidal effect. Instead, they can serve as a substrate for fast-growing bacteria, such as V. parahaemolyticus, increasing bacterial density. It should be considered a potential drawback of endolysins' proteinaceous nature as bactericidal agents.