High reduction of staphylococcal biofilm by aqueous extract from marine sponge-isolated Enterobacter sp

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis are among the most important bacterial species responsible for biofilm formation on indwelling medical devices, including orthopaedic implants. The increasing resistance to antimicrobials, partly attributed to the ability to form biofilms, is a challenge for the development of new antimicrobial agents. In this study, the cell-free supernatant obtained from sponge-associated Enterobacter strain 84.3 culture inhibited biofilm formation (>65%) and dissociated mature biofilm (>85%) formed by S. aureus and S. epidermidis strains. The culture supernatant was subjected to solvent partitioning and the aqueous extract presented a concentration-dependent antibiofilm activity for each strain with a minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) ranging from 16 to 256 μg/mL. The effect of the aqueous extract on mature S. aureus biofilm was analyzed by confocal scanning laser microscopy, showing a significant reduction of the biofilm layer as well as diminished interactions among the cells. This extract is not toxic for mammalian cells (L929 cell line). Studies targeting substances with antibiofilm activity gained significant attention in recent years due to difficult-to-treat biofilm infections. Here, sponge-associated Enterobacter 84.3 proved to be a source of substances capable of eradicating staphylococcal biofilm, with potential medical use in the future.

Keywords: Antibiofilm agent; Marine enterobacter; Marine sponges; Medical device-associated infections; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus epidermidis.