Natural transformation allows transfer of SCCmec-mediated methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus biofilms

One way antibiotic resistance spreads among bacteria

30 September 2022

How a potentially pathogenic bacterium conveys resistance to some antibiotics to its neighbours has been revealed for the first time.

Staphylococcus aureus, or staph, lives in the noses of about 30% of people. Usually harmless, it can cause a range of diseases ranging from fairly minor skin infections to life-threatening pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis.

Worryingly, infections are becoming increasingly difficult to treat due to rising levels of antibiotic resistance.

There has been evidence that S. aureus exchanges genetic material with neighbours that imparts antibiotic resistance, but it wasn’t clear exactly how it did this.

Now, a team led by researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan has observed transfer of the genetic material between bacteria growing in a biofilm via a two-component system.

This finding will be helpful for informing strategies for preventing the exchange of the genetic material. In particular, stopping biofilms from forming will help.

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References

1. Nature Communications 13, 2477 (2022). doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29877-2