Antibiotics Modulate Attractive Interactions in Bacterial Colonies Affecting Survivability Under Combined Treatment

Overview

Journal PLoS Pathog

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2021 Feb 1

PMID 33524048

Citations 6

Authors

Tom Cronenberg

Marc Hennes

Isabelle Wielert

Berenike Maier

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Biofilm formation protects bacteria from antibiotics. Very little is known about the response of biofilm-dwelling bacteria to antibiotics at the single cell level. Here, we developed a cell-tracking approach to investigate how antibiotics affect structure and dynamics of colonies formed by the human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Antibiotics targeting different cellular functions enlarge the cell volumes and modulate within-colony motility. Focusing on azithromycin and ceftriaxone, we identify changes in type 4 pilus (T4P) mediated cell-to-cell attraction as the molecular mechanism for different effects on motility. By using strongly attractive mutant strains, we reveal that the survivability under ceftriaxone treatment depends on motility. Combining our results, we find that sequential treatment with azithromycin and ceftriaxone is synergistic. Taken together, we demonstrate that antibiotics modulate T4P-mediated attractions and hence cell motility and colony fluidity.

Citing Articles

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Optogenetic Control of Bacterial Cell-Cell Adhesion Dynamics: Unraveling the Influence on Biofilm Architecture and Functionality.

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Collective polarization dynamics in bacterial colonies signify the occurrence of distinct subpopulations.

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Markedly Increasing Antibiotic Resistance and Dual Treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates in Guangdong, China, from 2013 to 2020.

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External Stresses Affect Gonococcal Type 4 Pilus Dynamics.

Kraus-Romer S, Wielert I, Rathmann I, Grossbach J, Maier B Front Microbiol. 2022; 13:839711.

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