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Bactericidal Activity and Synergy Studies of Peptide AP-CECT7121 Against Multi-resistant Bacteria Isolated from Human and Animal Soft Tissue Infections

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Abstract

AP-CECT7121 is an antimicrobial peptide, produced by Enterococcus faecalis CECT7121, with bactericidal activity against Gram-positive bacteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bactericidal activity of AP-CECT7121, alone and with gentamicin, against multi-resistant bacteria isolated from human and animals with soft tissue infections. During the period 2014–2015, bacterial strains producing human and animal soft tissue infections were studied. Samples from patients attended at a general hospital and cattle from four dairies in the Province of Buenos Aires (Argentina) were included. Twenty-two methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (11, human blood samples; 11, cow milk) and five vancomycin-resistant Ent. faecium strains isolated from four mastitic dairy cows were tested. AP-CECT7121 (12 mg/L) potency was assessed by time-kill curves alone or with sub-inhibitory concentrations of gentamicin. All staphylococcal strains were susceptible to gentamicin; enterococci did not show high-level gentamicin resistance. Colony counts were carried out at 0, 2, 4, 8, and 24 h of incubation. AP-CECT7121 showed bactericidal activity against all the enterococcal strains. In addition, AP-CECT7121 had a bactericidal effect on most staphylococci (16/22). Early AP-CECT7121/gentamicin synergy (4–8 h) for all staphylococci was detected. At 24 h, synergy (19/22) and indifference (3/22) were observed. Synergy with gentamicin was detected for staphylococci. AP-CECT7121 constitutes an attractive candidate for its use as a natural therapeutic tool for the treatment of infections produced by multi-resistant Staph. aureus and vancomycin-resistant Ent. faecium isolated from humans and animals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbiología Clínica, Medicina, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Av. Pringles 4375 (7400), Olavarría, Argentina

    Gastón Delpech, Mónica Ceci, Sabina Lissarrague & Mónica Sparo

  2. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil (CONICET-UNCPBA), Campus Universitario (7000), Tandil, Argentina

    Mariana Bistoletti & Sergio Sánchez Bruni

Authors
  1. Gastón Delpech
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  2. Mariana Bistoletti
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  3. Mónica Ceci
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  4. Sabina Lissarrague
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  5. Sergio Sánchez Bruni
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  6. Mónica Sparo
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Correspondence to Mónica Sparo.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Funding

This study was funded by the Consejo Interuniveristario Nacional (PDTS CIN-CONICET 2014 # 85), Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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Delpech, G., Bistoletti, M., Ceci, M. et al. Bactericidal Activity and Synergy Studies of Peptide AP-CECT7121 Against Multi-resistant Bacteria Isolated from Human and Animal Soft Tissue Infections. Probiotics & Antimicro. Prot. 9, 355–362 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-017-9289-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-017-9289-3

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