Excretory-secretory products from adult helminth have bactericidal activity.

Intestinal helminths and microbiota share the same anatomical niche during infection and are likely to interact either directly or indirectly. Whether intestinal helminths employ bactericidal strategies that influence their microbial environment is not completely understood. In the present study, the hypothesis that the adult hookworm produces molecules that impair bacterial growth , is tested. To investigate the bactericidal activity of against commensal and pathogenic bacteria. The bactericidal effect of somatic extract and excretory-secretory products of adult on Gram-positive () and Gram-negative (, serovar Typhimurium, and ) bacteria was assessed using growth assays. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration assays were performed using excretory-secretory products released from the pathogen. Broad-spectrum bactericidal activity in excretory-secretory products, but not somatic extract of adult was detected. The bactericidal activity of excretory-secretory products was concentration-dependent, maintained after heat treatment, and preserved after repeated freezing and thawing. The results of this study demonstrate that helminths such as release molecules via their excretory-secretory pathway that have broad-spectrum bactericidal activity. The mechanisms responsible for this bactericidal activity remain to be determined and further studies aimed at isolating and identifying active bactericidal molecules are needed.