Chitosan-protein scaffolds loaded with lysostaphin as potential antistaphylococcal wound dressing materials.

Aims: The development of technology for preparing chitosan-protein scaffolds loaded with lysostaphin, which potentially could be used as dressing for wound treatment and soft tissue infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus.

Methods And Results: The unique technology of chitosan solubilization using gaseous CO(2) instead of organic or inorganic acids was used for the incorporation of lysostaphin, the enzyme that exhibits bactericidal activity against staphylococci, within the structure of chitosan-protein sponges. The developed chitosan-protein scaffolds loaded with lysostaphin revealed high antistaphylococcal activity, which has been confirmed with a large (n = 143) collection of clinical (skin and wound infections) and animal (bovine mastitis) isolates of these bacteria, including MRSA.

Discovering the mechanisms of strain-dependent response of Staphylococcus aureus to photoinactivation: oxidative stress toleration, endogenous porphyrin level and strain's virulence.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is generally known to be susceptible to photoinactivation. However, the phenomenon of its strain-dependent response to photodynamic treatment has been reported. Moreover, the factors determining the emerging variation among strains according to photoinactivation remain unclear.

The agr function and polymorphism: impact on Staphylococcus aureus susceptibility to photoinactivation.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen that causes healthcare-associated and community-acquired infections. Moreover, the growing prevalence of multiresistant strains requires the development of alternative methods to antibiotic therapy. One effective therapeutic option may be antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI).

Alternative therapies in Staphylococcus aureus diseases.

Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen responsible for health-care-associated infections as well as community acquired ones. It is the etiological factor of a wide spectrum of infections. Therapeutic problems are caused by resistance of S.

MRSA distribution and epidemiological procedures evaluation at two hospitals in Northern Poland.

In the present study we have analyzed the impact of modified MRSA screening of carriers and patients on epidemiological situation of MRSA during 2008-2010, comparing two regional hospitals with similar bed numbers and similar ward profiles in Northern Poland. In 2008 the proportion of MRSA to all S. aureus isolates was 14.