Staphylococcus epidermidis Esp inhibits Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation and nasal colonization.
Iwase, Tadayuki 1; Uehara, Yoshio 2; Shinji, Hitomi 1; Tajima, Akiko 1; Seo, Hiromi 2; Takada, Koji 3; Agata, Toshihiko 4; Mizunoe, Yoshimitsu 1
[Letter]
Nature.
465(7296):346-349, May 20, 2010.
(Format: HTML, PDF)
: Commensal bacteria are known to inhibit pathogen colonization; however, complex host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions have made it difficult to gain a detailed understanding of the mechanisms involved in the inhibition of colonization 1. Here we show that the serine protease Esp 2,3 secreted by a subset of Staphylococcus epidermidis, a commensal bacterium, inhibits biofilm formation and nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus, a human pathogen 4. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that the presence of Esp-secreting S. epidermidis in the nasal cavities of human volunteers correlates with the absence of S. aureus. Purified Esp inhibits biofilm formation and destroys pre-existing S. aureus biofilms. Furthermore, Esp enhances the susceptibility of S. aureus in biofilms to immune system components. In vivo studies have shown that Esp-secreting S. epidermidis eliminates S. aureus nasal colonization. These findings indicate that Esp hinders S. aureus colonization in vivo through a novel mechanism of bacterial interference, which could lead to the development of novel therapeutics to prevent S. aureus colonization and infection.
(C) 2010 Nature Publishing Group