title: Degradation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilms using a chimeric lysin.
abstract: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is responsible for a large number of chronic infections due to its ability to form robust biofilms. Herein, the authors evaluated the anti-biofilm activity of a Staphylococcus specific chimeric lysin ClyH on MRSA biofilms. ClyH is known to be active against planktonic MRSA cells in vitro and in vivo. The minimum concentrations for biofilm eradication (MCBE) of ClyH were 6.2-50 mg l(-1), much lower than those of antibiotics. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis revealed that ClyH eliminated MRSA biofilms through cell lytic activity in a time-dependent manner. Viable plate counts and kinetic analysis demonstrated that biofilms of different ages displayed varying susceptibility to ClyH. Together with previously demonstrated in vivo efficacy of ClyH against MRSA, the degradation efficacy against biofilms of different ages indicates that ClyH could be used to remove MRSA biofilms in vivo.
authors.affiliation: a Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases and State Key Laboratory of Virology , Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Wuhan , PR China.
authors.forename: Hang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yanling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Junping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Hongping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005840:Gentian Violet; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009088:Mucoproteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D009088:Mucoproteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C010393:lysin, gastropoda; D005840:Gentian Violet
keywords: Staphylococcus aureus; anti-biofilm; biofilm; chimeric lysin; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); susceptibility