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Candida albicans enhances meropenem tolerance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a dual-species biofilm

Alam, Farhana, Catlow, Dominic, Di Maio, Alessandro, Blair, Jessica M A, Hall, Rebecca A. (2019) Candida albicans enhances meropenem tolerance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a dual-species biofilm. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, . ISSN 0305-7453. E-ISSN 1460-2091. (doi:10.1093/jac/dkz514) (KAR id:79508)

Abstract

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic bacterium that infects the airways of cystic fibrosis patients, surfaces of surgical and burn wounds, and indwelling medical devices. Patients are prone to secondary fungal infections, with Candida albicans being commonly co-isolated with P. aeruginosa. Both P. aeruginosa and C. albicans are able to form extensive biofilms on the surfaces ofmucosa and medical devices. Objectives: To determine whether the presence of C. albicans enhances antibiotic tolerance of P. aeruginosa in a dual-species biofilm.

Methods: Single- and dual-species biofilms were established in microtitre plates and the survival of each species was measured following treatment with clinically relevant antibiotics. Scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy were used to visualize biofilm structure.

Results: C. albicans enhances P. aeruginosa biofilm tolerance to meropenem at the clinically relevant concentration of 5 mg/L. This effect is specific to biofilm cultures and is dependent upon C. albicans extracellular matrix polysaccharides, mannan and glucan, with C. albicans cells deficient in glycosylation structures not enhancing P. aeruginosa tolerance tomeropenem.

Conclusions: We propose that fungal mannan and glucan secreted into the extracellular matrix of P. aeruginosa/C. albicans dual-species biofilms play a central role in enhancing P. aeruginosa tolerance to meropenem, which has direct implications for the treatment of coinfected patients.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1093/jac/dkz514
Uncontrolled keywords: School of Biosciences
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Biosciences
Depositing User: Susan Davies
Date Deposited: 08 Jan 2020 09:40 UTC
Last Modified: 13 May 2020 14:24 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/79508 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Hall, Rebecca A..

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