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Artesani L, Gallo M, Giovati L, Bisignano FM, Ferrari E, Castronovo LM, Conti S, Santoro F, Pertinhez TA, Ciociola T. Anti- Staphylococcus aureus Activity and Structural Characterization of Rationally Designed Peptides. Antibiotics (Basel) 2025; 14:437. [PMID: 40426504 PMCID: PMC12108160 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics14050437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2025] [Revised: 04/22/2025] [Accepted: 04/23/2025] [Indexed: 05/29/2025] Open
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Microbial infections represent a significant threat to public health due to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Adjunctive and alternative therapeutic strategies are explored to tackle this issue, including the use of natural or synthetic antimicrobial peptides. Previous research showed that antibody-derived peptides possess antimicrobial, antiviral, and immunomodulatory properties. This study aimed to characterize newly designed antibody-derived peptides and evaluate their effectiveness against representative strains of Staphylococcus aureus, including drug-resistant isolates. Methods: Colony-forming unit assays and confocal microscopy studies were performed to evaluate peptide activity against planktonic microbial cells. Cytotoxicity tests were performed on THP-1 human monocytic cells. Circular dichroism (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were employed for the conformational characterization of peptides. Results: The half-maximal effective concentrations of the peptides against bacterial reference strains and drug-resistant isolates ranged from 0.17 to 18.05 µM, while cytotoxic effects were not observed against mammalian cells. A killing kinetics analysis and observation by confocal microscopy of the interaction between peptides and bacteria suggested a mechanism of action involving membrane perturbation. CD studies showed that all peptides predominantly exhibit a random coil arrangement in aqueous solution. NMR spectroscopy revealed that the most active peptide adopts a helical conformation in the presence of membrane mimetics. Conclusions: The structural characterization and evaluation of the newly designed peptides' antimicrobial activity may lead to the selection of a candidate to be further studied to develop an alternative treatment against microbial infections caused by drug-resistant strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenza Artesani
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy; (L.A.); (L.G.); (F.M.B.); (T.C.)
| | - Mariana Gallo
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Metabolomics, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy; (M.G.); (E.F.); (T.A.P.)
| | - Laura Giovati
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy; (L.A.); (L.G.); (F.M.B.); (T.C.)
- Microbiome Research Hub, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Francesca Maria Bisignano
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy; (L.A.); (L.G.); (F.M.B.); (T.C.)
| | - Elena Ferrari
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Metabolomics, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy; (M.G.); (E.F.); (T.A.P.)
| | - Lara M. Castronovo
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.M.C.); (F.S.)
| | - Stefania Conti
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy; (L.A.); (L.G.); (F.M.B.); (T.C.)
- Microbiome Research Hub, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Francesco Santoro
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.M.C.); (F.S.)
| | - Thelma A. Pertinhez
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Metabolomics, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy; (M.G.); (E.F.); (T.A.P.)
| | - Tecla Ciociola
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy; (L.A.); (L.G.); (F.M.B.); (T.C.)
- Microbiome Research Hub, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
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Kovács L, Szabó Á, Barnácz F, Csirmaz B, Jerzsele Á, Kerek Á. Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiles of Commensal Staphylococcus spp. Isolates from Turkeys in Hungarian Poultry Farms Between 2022 and 2023. Antibiotics (Basel) 2025; 14:200. [PMID: 40001443 PMCID: PMC11851855 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics14020200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2025] [Revised: 02/12/2025] [Accepted: 02/12/2025] [Indexed: 02/27/2025] Open
Abstract
Background: The poultry industry is one of the most rapidly growing sectors, producing the highest amount of animal-derived protein per unit time while also being the second-largest consumer of antibiotics. The widespread and accelerating spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) underscores the necessity of regular monitoring studies. Periodic assessments, especially focusing on commensal strains, can serve as indicators of emerging resistance patterns. Methods: This study assesses the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of putative commensal Staphylococcus strains (n = 166) isolated from large-scale turkey flocks in Hungary using minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination. The isolated strains were tested against antibiotics of veterinary and public health importance. The results were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney U test, as well as t-tests. Additionally, correlation analysis and principal component analysis were performed. Results: Our findings revealed the highest resistance rates to tiamulin (90.4%), doxycycline (79.5%), and enrofloxacin (68.7%). Conclusions: These results reflect the extensive antibiotic use in the poultry sector, which contributes to the widespread presence of antimicrobial resistance. As regular monitoring and the identification of trends can aid in mitigating the spread of resistance, these findings should be complemented by data on antibiotic usage at the surveyed farms in further studies. The observed resistance rate of 18.1% to vancomycin is particularly concerning from a public health perspective, given that comparative human data show only a 0.05% resistance rate. Additionally, for multidrug-resistant strains, next-generation sequencing should be utilized to elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying resistance, particularly in strains exhibiting high levels of resistance to vancomycin, which is of critical importance in human medicine, as well as to the critically important enrofloxacin and the widely used doxycycline and tiamulin. However, the limitations of the study should also be acknowledged, including the relatively small sample size, which is significantly lower than that of available human data, as well as the spatial distribution of the samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- László Kovács
- Department of Animal Hygiene, Herd Health and Mobile Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary;
- Poultry-Care Kft., H-5052 Újszász, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - Ábel Szabó
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary; (Á.S.); (F.B.); (B.C.)
| | - Franciska Barnácz
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary; (Á.S.); (F.B.); (B.C.)
| | - Bence Csirmaz
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary; (Á.S.); (F.B.); (B.C.)
| | - Ákos Jerzsele
- National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary;
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary; (Á.S.); (F.B.); (B.C.)
| | - Ádám Kerek
- National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary;
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary; (Á.S.); (F.B.); (B.C.)
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