K5 Capsule and Lipopolysaccharide Are Important in Resistance to T4 Phage Attack in Probiotic Strain Nissle 1917.

Rapidly growing antibiotic resistance among gastrointestinal pathogens, and the ability of antibiotics to induce the virulence of these pathogens makes it increasingly difficult to rely on antibiotics to treat gastrointestinal infections. The probiotic strain Nissle 1917 (EcN) is the active component of the pharmaceutical preparation Mutaflor and has been successfully used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Gut bacteriophages are dominant players in maintaining the microbial homeostasis in the gut, however, their interaction with incoming probiotic bacteria remains to be at conception.

Flagellin hypervariable region determines symbiotic properties of commensal Escherichia coli strains.

Escherichia coli represents a classical intestinal gram-negative commensal. Despite this commensalism, different E. coli strains can mediate disparate immunogenic properties in a given host.

Potential of marine natural products against drug-resistant bacterial infections.

Natural products have been a rich source of compounds with structural and chemical diversity for drug discovery. However, antibiotic resistance in bacteria has been reported for nearly every antibiotic once it is used in clinical practice. In the past decade, pharmaceutical companies have reduced their natural product discovery projects because of challenges, such as high costs, low return rates, and high rediscovery rates.

A New Bioactive Compound From the Marine Sponge-Derived sp. SBT348 Inhibits Staphylococcal Growth and Biofilm Formation.

, the common inhabitant of human skin and mucosal surfaces has emerged as an important pathogen in patients carrying surgical implants and medical devices. Entering the body via surgical sites and colonizing the medical devices through formation of multi-layered biofilms leads to refractory and persistent device-related infections (DRIs). Staphylococci organized in biofilms are more tolerant to antibiotics and immune responses, and thus are difficult-to-treat.

Enhancement of Mucus Production in Eukaryotic Cells and Quantification of Adherent Mucus by ELISA.

The mucosal surfaces of the gastrointestinal, respiratory, reproductive, and urinary tracts, and the surface of the eye harbor a resident microflora that lives in symbiosis with their host and forms a complex ecosystem. The protection of the vulnerable epithelium is primarily achieved by mucins that form a gel-like structure adherent to the apical cell surface. This mucus layer constitutes a physical and chemical barrier between the microbial flora and the underlying epithelium.