Microbial pathogenesis最新文献

{"title":"Expressions of selected microRNAs in gastric cancer patients and their association with Helicobacter pylori and its cag pathogenicity island.","authors":"Ravi Prakash Rai, Asad Syed, Abdallah M Elgorban, Islem Abid, Ling Shing Wong, Mohd Sajid Khan, Jahanarah Khatoon, Kashi N Prasad, Uday Chand Ghoshal","doi":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107442","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107442","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Helicobacter pylori infection and the resulting inflammation of the stomach are widely recognized as the primary risk factors for the development of gastric cancer. Despite numerous attempts, the correlation between various virulence factors of H. pylori and stomach cancer remains mainly unexplained. The cag pathogenicity island (cagPAI) is a widely recognized indicator of virulence in H. pylori. MicroRNAs play crucial roles in a wide range of biological and pathological processes and dysregulated expressions of miRNAs have been detected in numerous cancer types. However, research on the correlation between H. pylori infection and its cagPAI, as well as the differential expression of microRNAs in gastric cancer, is lacking.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The aim of this study was to examine the differential expression of miRNAs in 80 patients with gastric cancer, specifically in connection to the presence of H. pylori and its cag pathogenicity island (cagPAI).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Biopsies of 80 gastric cancer patients were collected and used for H. pylori DNA isolation and tissue miRNA isolation, and further analysed for cagPAI and miRNA expression and their association.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Elevated levels of miR-21, miR-155, and miR-223 were detected in malignant tissues. The expression of miR-21 and miR-223 was considerably elevated in biopsies that tested positive for H. pylori, whereas the expression of miR-34a was reduced. H. pylori cagPAI samples that are functionally intact exhibit greater expression of miR-21 and miR-223 compared to cagPAI samples that are partially deleted, in both normal and malignant tissues.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Thus, the novelty of our study lies in its focus on the differential expression of specific miRNAs in relation to the functional integrity of the cagPAI in H. pylori-infected gastric cancer patients, offering a more detailed understanding of the interplay between H. pylori virulence factors and miRNA regulation than previous studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18599,"journal":{"name":"Microbial pathogenesis","volume":" ","pages":"107442"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143573491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is there a link between exposure to pesticides and antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria isolated from Thai farmers?","authors":"Aïcha Hamieh ,&nbsp;Hanane Zerrouki ,&nbsp;Linda Hadjadj ,&nbsp;Chuanphot Thinphovong ,&nbsp;Anamika Kritiyakan ,&nbsp;Kittipong Chaisiri ,&nbsp;Serge Morand ,&nbsp;Jean-Marc Rolain ,&nbsp;Sophie Alexandra Baron","doi":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107451","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107451","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The organophosphate pesticides have the potential to impact microbial diversity, but their influence on antibiotic resistance (AR) in bacteria remains understudied.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of exposure to acetylcholinesterase inhibitors on glyphosate tolerance and AR in Gram-negative bacteria isolated from the digestive tracts of Thai farmers.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Human fecal samples from Thailand, grouped by pesticide exposure level measured by acetylcholinesterase blood concentration, were cultured on MacConkey (McK) agar with or without 7 g/L of a glyphosate-based formulation (GBF). Antibiotic susceptibility and glyphosate minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of isolated strains were assessed using the disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods, respectively.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 547 GNB were isolated from 112 human fecal samples. GBF medium predominantly selected <em>Escherichia coli</em>, <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em>, and <em>Citrobacter freundii</em>. GBF MICs ranged from 2 g/L to 16 g/L with <em>K. pneumoniae</em> species harboring the highest median MIC (16 g/L). AR rates were not significantly different between exposed and not exposed groups to pesticides. In contrast, six mobile colistin resistance (MCR)- and/or extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL)-producing <em>E. coli</em> strains were isolated from pesticide-exposed group, while only one colistin-resistant <em>K. pneumoniae</em> strain was isolated from a sample which was not exposed to pesticides.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The results of our study underscore the need for further research, particularly on the impact of glyphosate exposure on colistin resistance and the prevalence of ESBL-producing strains. Additionally, we emphasize the importance of testing a broad range of pesticides to better understand their impact on AR.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18599,"journal":{"name":"Microbial pathogenesis","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 107451"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143550090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Novel circular antimicrobial peptides to combat a critical listed bacterial pathogen Multi drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.","authors":"Lina Naif Fahad Alharbi, Suriya Rehman, Sarfuddin Azmi, Aisha Alamri, Amani Alnimr, Mohammad Azam Ansari","doi":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107448","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107448","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acinetobacter baumannii, acritical nosocomial pathogen, is one of the leading causes of human mortality, globally. The extraordinary genetic plasticity of A. baumannii leads to a high propensity antimicrobial resistance trait that demands urgent attention for alternative therapeutics. The current study involves synthesis and purification of two synthetic antimicrobial peptides, i.e., Cyclized melittin (CMEL) and its analog CMEL-M1, to investigate their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and mechanism of action on the ultrastructural alteration using scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) against the clinical strains of multidrug- resistant A. baumannii. Mass spectrometry and Kaiser test was employed to assess the effect of cyclization and substitution of polar amino acids with basic amino acids, that created cyclic melittin and its analogue replacing threonine with arginine and lysine. By using broth dilution method, CMEL-M1 demonstrated 70 % strains had MIC value of 31.25 μg/mL, while in case of CMEL, only 20% isolates exhibited MIC value of 31.25 μg/mL which suggested that CMEL-M1 is significantly effective against MDR- A. baumannii. Action mechanism of synthetic peptides using SEM/TEM depicted the altered cellular morphology leading to the disruption of membranes and the impairment of essential A. baumannii cellular functions. Hence, present findings clearly indicate the potential of CMEL and CMEL-M1 as therapeutic agents for the management of MDR- A. baumannii infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":18599,"journal":{"name":"Microbial pathogenesis","volume":" ","pages":"107448"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143573493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the Efficacy of Doripenem against Staphylococcus aureus in Vancomycin-Resistant Strains.","authors":"Boosan Balaji B, Pitchiah Sivaperumal, G Dhanraj Ganapathy, Kannan Kamala","doi":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107449","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107449","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Determination of antibiotic susceptibility is a crucial aspect of antimicrobial therapy. The objective of this study was to determine the specific susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) to the antibiotic doripenem. A total of 180 clinical isolates from VRSA patients were tested against doripenem using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and disk diffusion tests. The overall findings indicated that doripenem exhibited a high sensitivity level for SA isolates, with an MIC₅₀ of 60μg/mL and a MIC90 of 0.5mg/mL. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity of doripenem, both alone and in combination with amoxiclav against VRSA showed consistent biofilm inhibition within 48 and 24 hours, respectively. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that doripenem maintains its high efficacy against VRSA and the combination of amoxiclav with doripenem presents a potential option for managing these resistant infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":18599,"journal":{"name":"Microbial pathogenesis","volume":" ","pages":"107449"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143567761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ultrasensitive and Visual Detection of Pseudorabies Virus based on CRISPR-Cas12b system.","authors":"Haoran Kang, Xintan Yang, Ruijiao Jiang, Peng Gao, Yongning Zhang, Lei Zhou, Xinna Ge, Jun Han, Xin Guo, Hanchun Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107447","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107447","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aujeszky's disease (AD) is an acute infectious disease that infects pigs and other animals, resulting in significant economic losses and posing a threat to human health. Reliable and rapid detection methods are essential for the prevention of AD. In this study, a RAA-Cas12b assay based on recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) and CRISPR-Cas12b system was established, optimized and evaluated for the rapid detection of wild-type Pseudorabies Virus (PRV). The results can not only be detected by real-time fluorescence readout, but also can be visualized by a portable blue light instrument. There was no cross-reaction with PRV Bartha-K61 strain or other swine infectious viruses. The analytical sensitivities of the real-time PRV RAA-Cas12b assay and visual PRV RAA-Cas12b assay were determined to be 15 copies/μL with 95% confidence interval and 140 copies/μL with 95% confidence interval, respectively. A total of 31 clinical samples were detected and compared with PRV qPCR assay to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the PRV RAA-Cas12b assay. The diagnostic coincidence rate of the two assays was 100%. In summary, this convenient and reliable assay has great potential for rapid detection of wild type PRV in point-of-care testing (POCT).</p>","PeriodicalId":18599,"journal":{"name":"Microbial pathogenesis","volume":" ","pages":"107447"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143542515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of aggregative adherence fimbriae from enteroaggregative Escherichia coli isolates in biofilm and colonization.","authors":"Viktoria Van Nederveen, Yuliya Seldina Johnson, Ennzo Ortega, Anthony Soc, Mark A Smith, Angela R Melton-Celsa","doi":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107444","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107444","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) are a diverse group of bacteria that cause diarrhea worldwide. EAEC significantly affect travelers to endemic regions, including military personnel, and children in developing countries where EAEC infection is associated with childhood failure-to-thrive. EAEC creates thick biofilms on the intestinal mucosa, a process that is thought to contribute to the development of both diarrhea and childhood failure-to-thrive. Typical EAEC strains encode and produce just one aggregative adherence fimbriae (AAF) out of the five different AAF types. The AAF are required for aggregative adherence to epithelial cells in vitro, but the degree of importance of each of the AAF types in both biofilm formation and pathogenesis is unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of the fimbriae in EAEC biofilms by deleting the major fimbrial subunit gene for the AAF from each of the five AAF categories and observing the impact on biofilm staining from recent EAEC clinical isolates. We found that biofilm was significantly reduced in all strains when the AAF gene was deleted, and that the defect could be overcome by complementation. In this work we also describe a modified murine EAEC model appropriate for colonization studies. In an antibiotic-treated mouse colonization model, some AAF mutant strains were attenuated for colonization, including AAF/II, AAF/IV, and AAF/V isolates. We did not observe complementation of the attenuated colonization phenotype in the mouse model. However, since we found a colonization defect for several EAEC mutant strains of different AAF types, a link between the fimbriae and colonization in the mice is supported. Taken together, our results show that the AAF are required for biofilm formation, and that some AAF contribute to colonization in a mouse model.</p>","PeriodicalId":18599,"journal":{"name":"Microbial pathogenesis","volume":" ","pages":"107444"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143542449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extracellular TatD from Listeria monocytogenes displays DNase activity and contributes to biofilm dispersion","authors":"Chengshui Liao ,&nbsp;Jingzheng Hu ,&nbsp;Fuchao Mao ,&nbsp;Qi Li ,&nbsp;Hanxiao Li ,&nbsp;Chuan Yu ,&nbsp;Yanyan Jia ,&nbsp;Ke Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107445","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107445","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>TatD is evolutionarily conserved in a variety of organisms and has been implicated in DNA repair, apoptosis, and the disruption of extracellular traps. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of TatD on <em>L. monocytogenes</em> biofilms. In our previous study, the deletion of the <em>TatD</em> gene from <em>L. monocytogenes</em> (named <em>Lm</em>TatD) increased biofilm formation. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we present a detailed analysis of the structural characteristics of TatD. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the amino acid residues DPGEGDQHEDP are fully conserved. <em>Lm</em>TatD belongs to the Class II TatD family (TATDN3) and contains a signal peptide. Recombinant <em>Lm</em>TatD exhibited DNase activity regardless of the DNA substrate. Mutagenesis experiments confirmed the importance of glutamic acid, histidine, and aspartic acid residues in enzymatic activity. Biofilm formation was evaluated via a crystal violet assay, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. r<em>Lm</em>TatD impaired biofilm formation and reduced eDNA levels without disrupting the integrity of the bacteria within biofilms. Moreover, deficiency of <em>LmTatD</em> led to a significant decrease in the DNase activity of the extracellular proteins from <em>L. monocytogenes</em>, whereas there was an increase in biofilm formation and eDNA production during the dispersion stage. However, no significant change in the total number of biofilm or planktonic bacteria was observed at any of the time points. Additionally, the mRNA level of <em>LmTatD</em> in the biofilm formed by the wild-type strain at the dispersion stage was greater than that at the attachment and maturation stages. The number of planktonic bacteria for the wild-type strain at the dispersion stage was significantly greater than that for the Δ<em>LmTatD</em> mutant. Collectively, these data suggest that <em>Lm</em>TatD exhibits extracellular DNase activity and regulates <em>L. monocytogenes</em> biofilm dispersion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18599,"journal":{"name":"Microbial pathogenesis","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 107445"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143542446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Serotyping and virulence genes of Escherichia coli isolated from patients with recurrent urinary tract infection and uninfected control subjects: A case-control study","authors":"Nancy M. Attia ,&nbsp;Fadhil Ismael Abdullah ,&nbsp;Ola Kader ,&nbsp;Rasha Emad ,&nbsp;Eman Salah Eldin Khalil ,&nbsp;Iman S. Naga","doi":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107443","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107443","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div><em>Escherichia coli</em> (<em>E. coli</em>) isolates are the main cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) worldwide. Several virulence factors, including biofilm and virulence genes, are recognized among <em>E. coli</em> isolates. We aimed to investigate serological typing and virulence factors among <em>E. coli</em> isolated from patients with recurrent UTIs compared to healthy controls.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This case-control study included 60 <em>E. coli</em> isolates. We collected urine and fecal samples from 20 patients with UTIs, as well as 20 fecal samples from healthy individuals. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. We conducted O- and H- serotyping for all isolates using a slide agglutination method. Isolates were tested for biofilm formation and screened for six virulence genes (<em>pap</em>, <em>sfa</em>, <em>afa</em>, <em>fimH</em>, <em>usp</em>, and <em>fyuA</em> genes) using PCR. The significant p-value for comparisons between groups was set at ≤0.05.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The overall O: H typeability was 53/60 (88.3 %). The most observed O:H serotyping pattern was O25:H2 (12/60, 20 %). The most frequent virulence genes among all <em>E. coli</em> isolates were <em>fimH</em> (53/60, 88.3 %) and <em>fyuA</em> (42/53, 70 %), followed by <em>sfa</em> (33/60, 55 %) and <em>usp</em> (24/60, 40 %). <em>Pap</em> was the least detected, found in only 10 isolates. The <em>fimH</em> gene was present in 100 % of fecal isolates from UTI patients compared to 70 % of fecal isolates from healthy controls (p = 0.02). Additionally, the <em>usp</em> gene was present in 45 % of fecal isolates from UTI patients and was only detected once among fecal isolates from healthy controls (p = 0.008). Twenty virulence gene patterns were detected.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our findings confirm that most virulence genes were found in urine/fecal isolates from UTI patients, with a higher prevalence compared to fecal isolates from healthy controls.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18599,"journal":{"name":"Microbial pathogenesis","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 107443"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143542513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dual encapsulation of curcumin and ciprofloxacin in chitosan nanoparticles attenuates Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence, elastinolytic potential and quorum sensing genes","authors":"Hosna Allahyari ,&nbsp;Leila Shamsini ,&nbsp;Hojjatolah Zamani","doi":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107438","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107438","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em> is an important human pathogen that is responsible for various human infections and able to develop resistance to a variety of antibiotics. Drug encapsulation may provide sustained and more efficient drug delivery, particularly in case of the drugs with low bioavailability. This study aims to characterize the antivirulence and anti-quorum sensing (QS) properties of curcumin and ciprofloxacin dually encapsulated in chitosan NPs (Cur-Cip-CsNPs). The nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized by SEM, FT-IR, Zeta Potential, and DLS analyses. The antibacterial and antivirulence effects of the Cip-CsNPs, Cur-CsNPs, and Cur-Cip-CsNPs against <em>P. aeruginosa</em> strains were investigated by well diffusion, biofilm and pyocyanin quantification, swarming, swimming, twitching, and proteolytic and elastinolytic activity assays. The mRNA transcript levels of the <em>lasIR</em> and <em>lasAB</em> genes were also determined by real-time PCR. Cur-Cip-CsNPs were more potent antibacterial agents against <em>P. aeruginosa</em> compared with other NPs and inhibited bacterial planktonic growth at 160 mg/mL, reduced biofilm formation by 72.5–86.5 % and pyocyanin levels by 80.2–80.6 %, and significantly inhibited flagellar and fimbrial motility of <em>P. aeruginosa</em>. Furthermore, bacterial proteolysis and elastinolytic activity were reduced more efficiently by Cur-Cip-CsNPs compared with other nanoformulations. The expression of the <em>lasI</em>, <em>lasR</em>, <em>lasA,</em> and <em>lasB</em> was attenuated more efficiently by Cur-Cip-CsNPs compared with Cip-CsNPs and Cur-CsNPs. This study presents an innovative approach to overcome the challenges due to antibiotic resistance and provides a new therapeutic option against <em>P. aeruginosa</em> infections.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18599,"journal":{"name":"Microbial pathogenesis","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 107438"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143542444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) on quorum sensing and resistance of P. aeruginosa in clinical settings","authors":"Khawla E. Alsamhary","doi":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107378","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107378","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em>, a formidable opportunistic pathogen, is notorious for its ability to form biofilms and produce virulence factors that favor chronic infections, especially in cystic fibrosis patients. The misuse of disinfectants, combined with environmental leakage and biodegradation, has led to widespread exposure of microorganisms to sub-lethal concentrations of disinfectants, particularly quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs). This study investigates the interaction between QACs, specifically ethylbenzalkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (EBAC), and the quorum sensing (QS) mechanisms governing <em>P. aeruginosa</em> behavior. The results demonstrate that exposure to sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of EBAC not only enhances the biofilm-forming capability of <em>P. aeruginosa</em> isolates but also modulates the expression of crucial QS-regulated genes. Notably, the bacteria exhibit increased production of biofilm-associated virulence factors such as pyocyanin and elastase, and altered antibiotic susceptibility profiles, indicating a shift towards persistent infection phenotypes. These findings reveal that QAC exposure can significantly increase resistance to antibiotics and external stressors like hydrogen peroxide. These results emphasize the need to reassess the efficacy of QACs in clinical disinfection settings, particularly against <em>P. aeruginosa</em> infections, and highlight the potential for unintended consequences of their use regarding bacterial behavior and virulence. This study provides novel insights into the role of QACs in modulating QS-mediated virulence and antibiotic resistance, offering a new perspective on the risks associated with sub-lethal disinfectant exposure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18599,"journal":{"name":"Microbial pathogenesis","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 107378"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143537381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}