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Pseudomonas aeruginosa Inhibits the Growth of Scedosporium and Lomentospora In Vitro

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Abstract

In vitro bacterial–fungal interaction studies in cystic fibrosis (CF) have mainly focused on interactions between bacteria and Candida. Here we investigated the effect of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the growth of Scedosporium/Lomentospora spp. Standard suspensions of P. aeruginosa (16 non-mucoid and nine mucoid isolates) were dropped onto paper disks, placed on lawns of Lomentospora prolificans (formerly Scedosporium prolificans) strain WM 14.140 or Scedosporium aurantiacum strain WM 11.78 on solid agar. The median inhibitory activity (mIz) was calculated for each fungal–bacterial combination. As a group, mIz values for non-mucoid phenotype P. aeruginosa strains were significantly lower than those for mucoid strains (P < 0.001); 14/16 (87.5%) non-mucoid strains had mIz <1.0 against both fungi versus just 3/9 mucoid strains (33.4%) (P = 0.01). One non-mucoid (PA14) and one mucoid (CIDMLS-PA-28) P. aeruginosa strain effecting inhibition were selected for further studies. Inhibition of both L. prolificans and S. aurantiacum by these strains was confirmed using the XTT (2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-[(phenylamino)carbonyl]-2H-tetrazolium hydroxide) reduction assay. Following incubation with XTT, inhibition of fungal growth was determined as the ratio of absorbance in liquid culture with Pseudomonas to that in control fungal cultures. An absorbance ratio of <1.0 consistent with bacterial inhibition of fungal growth was observed for all four P. aeruginosa–fungal combinations (P < 0.05). Fluorescence microscopy, subsequent to co-culture of either fungal isolate with P. aeruginosa strain PA14 or CIDMLS-PA-28 revealed poorly formed hyphae, compared with control fungal cultures. P. aeruginosa inhibits growth of L. prolificans and S. aurantiacum in vitro, with non-mucoid strains more commonly having an inhibitory effect. As P. aeruginosa undergoes phenotype transitions from non-mucoid to the mucoid form with progression of CF lung disease, this balance may influence the appearance of Scedosporium fungi in the airways.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology–Public Health (CIDM-PH) Facility, Westmead Hospital [stipend to S.P]. The authors thank the physicians and staff at the Cystic Fibrosis unit at Westmead Hospital, Westmead. We also thank Ms. Sue Sleiman and Ms. Krystyna Maszewska for assistance with culture and identification of Scedosporium isolates.

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  1. Sharon C.-A. Chen and Shilpa Patel have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead Hospital, 3rd Level, ICPMR Building, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia

    Sharon C.-A. Chen, Belinda Chapman, Hong Yu & Tania C. Sorrell

  2. Molecular Mycology Research Laboratory, Center for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Sydney Medical School-Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia

    Sharon C.-A. Chen, Shilpa Patel & Wieland Meyer

  3. Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia

    Sharon C.-A. Chen, Shilpa Patel & Tania C. Sorrell

  4. The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia

    Shilpa Patel, Belinda Chapman, Peter G. Middleton & Tania C. Sorrell

  5. Research and Education Network, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia

    Karen Byth

  6. Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Ludwig Engel Centre for Respiratory Research, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia

    Peter G. Middleton

  7. Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia

    Helena Nevalainen

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  1. Sharon C.-A. Chen
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Chen, S.CA., Patel, S., Meyer, W. et al. Pseudomonas aeruginosa Inhibits the Growth of Scedosporium and Lomentospora In Vitro. Mycopathologia 183, 251–261 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-017-0140-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-017-0140-x

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