5 research outputs found
The efficacy of lyticase and β-glucosidase enzymes on biofilm degradation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains with different gene profiles
Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a nosocomial pathogen that causes severe infections in
immunocompromised patients. Biofilm plays a significant role in the resistance of this bacterium and complicates
the treatment of its infections. In this study, the effect of lyticase and β-glucosidase enzymes on the degradation of
biofilms of P. aeruginosa strains isolated from cystic fibrosis and burn wound infections were assessed. Moreover,
the decrease of ceftazidime minimum biofilm eliminating concentrations (MBEC) after enzymatic treatment was
evaluated.
Results: This study demonstrated the effectiveness of both enzymes in degrading the biofilms of P. aeruginosa. In
contrast to the lyticase enzyme, β-glucosidase reduced the ceftazidime MBECs significantly (P < 0.05). Both enzymes
had no cytotoxic effect on the A-549 human lung carcinoma epithelial cell lines and A-431 human epidermoid
carcinoma cell lines.
Conclusion: Considering the characteristics of the β-glucosidase enzyme, which includes the notable degradation
of P. aeruginosa biofilms and a significant decrease in the ceftazidime MBECs and non-toxicity for eukaryotic cells,
this enzyme can be a promising therapeutic candidate for degradation of biofilms in burn wound patients, but
further studies are needed
Invasive bacteria isolates from children with cerebral shunt and pattern of antimicrobial drug susceptibility in an Iranian referral pediatrics center
Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles associated with bacterial meningitis among children: A referral hospital-based study in Iran
Bacterial meningitis continues to be associated with high morbidity and mortality rate worldwide, especially in the pediatric age group. This study was performed to identify the microbial etiologies of meningitis among 31 children, who were admitted in the Emergency Ward of a referral pediatric hospital in Iran. Culture identification showed that Streptococcus pneumoniae (12 subjects), Haemophilus influenzae (11 subjects) were the most common bacteria, followed by Escherichia coli (7 cases) and Neisseria meningitidis (only one case). Antibiotic susceptibility tests revealed that vancomycin had the best effect on S. pneumoniae in comparison with other antibiotics, whereas H. influenzae and E. coli were more susceptible to ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, and ceftizoxime than other antibiotics. In conclusion, despite the advances in antibiotic therapy and vaccine development, bacterial meningitis still is a health problem. S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, and N. meningitidis are the main sources of bacterial meningitis, but other organisms such as E. coli should also be suspected, when a case is admitted to a referral pediatric hospital