Host and bacterial proteases influence biofilm formation and virulence in a murine model of enterococcal catheter-associated urinary tract infection

Urinary tract infections: targeting enzymes might help Identifying bacterial and host enzymes that support biofilm formation may help prevent urinary tract infections caused by catheters. Enterococcus faecalis bacteria is a leading cause of catheter-associated urinary tract infections, the most common type of hospital-acquired infections. Michael Caparon and colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri, USA, studied these infections in mice. They examined the effects of two protein-degrading enzymes, both from the bacterium and one can be activated by urine trypsin-like protease from the animals. Mutations that impaired either one of the enzymes had no effect on the infection, but when both the bacterial enzymes were impaired by mutation the formation of biofilms was significantly reduced. Treating the mice with chemicals that inhibited both bacterial and host enzymes dramatically reduced catheter-induced inflammation and related problems. This suggests drugs targeting these enzymes could be useful in clinical care