Detection of antimicrobial producing Staphylococcus from migratory birds: Potential role in nasotracheal microbiota modulation

A collection of 259 staphylococci of 13 different species [212 coagulase-negative (CoNS) and 47 coagulase-positive (CoPS)] recovered from nasotracheal samples of 87 healthy nestling white storks was tested by the spot-on-lawn method for antimicrobial-activity (AA) against 14 indicator bacteria. Moreover, extracts of AP isolates were obtained [cell-free-supernatants (CFS) both crude and concentrated and butanol extracts] and tested against the 14 indicator bacteria. The microbiota modulation capacity of AP isolates was tested considering: (a) intra-sample AA, against all Gram-positive bacteria recovered in the same stork nasotracheal sample; (b) inter-sample AA against a selection of representative Gram-positive bacteria of the nasotracheal microbiota of all the storks (30 isolates of 29 different species and nine genera). In addition, enzymatic susceptibility test was carried out in selected AP isolates and bacteriocin encoding genes was studied by PCR/sequencing. In this respect, nine isolates (3.5%; seven CoNS and two CoPS) showed AA against at least one indicator bacteria and were considered antimicrobial-producing (AP) isolates. The AP isolates showed AA only for Gram-positive bacteria. Three of these AP isolates (S. hominis X3764, S. sciuri X4000, and S. chromogenes X4620) revealed AA on all extract conditions; other four AP isolates only showed activity in extracts after concentration; the remaining two AP isolates did not show AA in any of extract conditions. As for the microbiota modulation evaluation, three of the nine AP-isolates revealed intra-sample AA. It is to highlight the potent inter-sample AA of the X3764 isolate inhibiting 73% of the 29 representative Gram-positive species of the nasotracheal stork microbiota population. On the other hand, enzymatic analysis carried out in the two highest AP isolates (X3764 and X4000) verified the proteinaceous nature of the antimicrobial compound and PCR analysis revealed the presence of lantibiotic-like encoding genes in the nine AP isolates. In conclusion, these results show that nasotracheal staphylococci of healthy storks, and especially CoNS, produce antimicrobial substances that could be important in the modulations of their nasal microbiota.

Automated summary

A total of 259 staphylococci strains were isolated from nasotracheal samples of 87 healthy nestling white storks, and their antimicrobial activity was tested using the spot-on-lawn method. Extracts from these strains were also tested against indicator bacteria. Results showed that 9 strains exhibited antimicrobial activity, primarily against Gram-positive bacteria. PCR and sequencing analysis revealed the presence of lantibiotic-like encoding genes in these strains.