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Staphylococcus aureus Potentiates the Hemolytic Activity of Burkholderia cepacia Complex (Bcc) Bacteria

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Abstract

Polymicrobial lung infections in individuals with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) contribute to the complexity of this disease and are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the CF community. The microorganisms most commonly associated with severe airway infections in individuals with CF are the opportunistic pathogens S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and bacteria from the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc), particularly B. cenocepacia and B. multivorans. Three Bcc strains, two S. aureus wild-type strains, and two derivative mutants were used to investigate the interplay between S. aureus and Bcc with a focus on the hemolytic activity of Bcc. Our results revealed that extracellular products from S. aureus potentiated the hemolysis of Bcc strains. Moreover, this effect was influenced by the composition of the medium in which S. aureus is grown. These findings contribute towards the understanding of the impact of interactions between S. aureus and Bcc and their possible implications in the context of co-infections by these pathogens in individuals with CF.

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Acknowledgements

We want to thank Lorena Tuchscherr de Hauschopp for the mutant LS1 Δagr and Jovanka Voyich de Montana for the USA300 Δhla mutant.

Funding

Research reported in this publication was in part supported by the 2019–20 Junior/Senior Intramural Grant 0357019 to M.S.R. and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to M.S.R under Award Numbers SC3GM125556 and to R.A.B. under Award Numbers R01AI100560, R01AI063517, and R01AI072219. This study was also supported in part by funds and/or facilities provided by the Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs, Award Numbers 1I01BX002872 to K.M.P.-W. and 1I01BX001974 to R.A.B. from the Biomedical Laboratory Research & Development Service of the VA Office of Research and Development, and the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center VISN 10. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation #691309 also support the laboratory of KMP-W. D.O.S is a member of the National Research Council of Argentina (CONICET). S.M is recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship from CONICET. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH, the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Science, California State University, 800 N State College Blvd, Fullerton, CA, 92831, USA

    Alessandro Moriano, Amparo Hoard & Maria Soledad Ramirez

  2. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR, CONICET-UNR), Rosario, Argentina

    Diego O. Serra

  3. Laboratorio de Bacteriología Clínica, Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Sabrina Montaña

  4. Cátedra de Salud Pública e Higiene Ambiental, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Jose Degrossi

  5. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Instituto de Investigaciones en Bacteriología y Virología Molecular (IBaViM), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Jose Degrossi

  6. Research Service Medical Service and GRECC, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Robert A. Bonomo & Krisztina M. Papp-Wallace

  7. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Robert A. Bonomo & Krisztina M. Papp-Wallace

  8. CWRU-Cleveland VAMC Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Epidemiology (Case VA CARES), Cleveland, OH, USA

    Robert A. Bonomo & Krisztina M. Papp-Wallace

Authors
  1. Alessandro Moriano
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  2. Diego O. Serra
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  3. Amparo Hoard
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  4. Sabrina Montaña
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  5. Jose Degrossi
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  6. Robert A. Bonomo
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  7. Krisztina M. Papp-Wallace
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  8. Maria Soledad Ramirez
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Contributions

1) Conception and design of the study: AM, DS, JD, MSR; 2) Acquisition and analysis of data: AM, DS, AH, SM, JD, MSR; 3) Drafting and revision of manuscript: AM, DS, SM, JD, RB, KPW, MSR.

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Correspondence to Maria Soledad Ramirez.

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The authors have declared that they have no conflict of interest.

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Moriano, A., Serra, D.O., Hoard, A. et al. Staphylococcus aureus Potentiates the Hemolytic Activity of Burkholderia cepacia Complex (Bcc) Bacteria. Curr Microbiol 78, 1864–1870 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-021-02458-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-021-02458-0

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