Journal
ARCHIVES OF MICROBIOLOGY
Volume 194, Issue 7, Pages 575-587Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s00203-012-0793-2
Keywords
Citrobacter freundii; Bacteriocin; Antimicrobial; Biofilm
Categories
Funding
- Foundation of UMDNJ
- NIH [AI085570, EY08098]
- Research to Prevent Blindness
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Multi- and pan-antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a major health challenge in hospital settings. Furthermore, when susceptible bacteria establish surface-attached biofilm populations, they become recalcitrant to antimicrobial therapy. Therefore, there is a need for novel antimicrobials that are effective against multi-drug-resistant and surface-attached bacteria. A screen to identify prokaryote-derived antimicrobials from a panel of over 100 bacterial strains was performed. One compound isolated from Citrobacter freundii exhibited antimicrobial activity against a wide range of Gram-negative bacteria and was effective against biofilms. Random transposon mutagenesis was performed to find mutants unable to produce the antimicrobial compound. Transposons mapped to a bacteriocin gene located on a small plasmid capable of replication in Escherichia coli. The plasmid was sequenced and found to be highly similar to a previously described colicinogenic plasmid. Expression of the predicted bacteriocin immunity gene conferred bacteriocin immunity to E. coli. The predicted bacteriocin gene, colA-43864, expressed in E. coli was sufficient to generate anti-microbial activity, and purified recombinant ColA-43864 was highly effective in killing E. coli, Citrobacter species, and Klebsiella pneumoniae cells in a planktonic and biofilm state. This study suggests that bacteriocins can be an effective way to control surface-attached pathogenic bacteria.
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