Understanding the Mechanisms That Drive Phage Resistance in Staphylococci to Prevent Phage Therapy Failure
Despite occurring at the microscopic scale, the armed race between phages and their bacterial hosts involves multiple mechanisms, some of which are just starting to be understood. On the one hand, bacteria have evolved strategies that can stop the viral infection at different stages (adsorption, DNA...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Viruses |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/5/1061 |
| _version_ | 1797494622221500416 |
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| author | Andrea Jurado Lucía Fernández Ana Rodríguez Pilar García |
| author_facet | Andrea Jurado Lucía Fernández Ana Rodríguez Pilar García |
| author_sort | Andrea Jurado |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite occurring at the microscopic scale, the armed race between phages and their bacterial hosts involves multiple mechanisms, some of which are just starting to be understood. On the one hand, bacteria have evolved strategies that can stop the viral infection at different stages (adsorption, DNA injection and replication, biosynthesis and assembly of the viral progeny and/or release of the newly formed virions); on the other, phages have gradually evolved counterattack strategies that allow them to continue infecting their prey. This co-evolutionary process has played a major role in the development of microbial populations in both natural and man-made environments. Notably, understanding the parameters of this microscopic war will be paramount to fully benefit from the application of phage therapy against dangerous, antibiotic-resistant human pathogens. This review gathers the current knowledge regarding the mechanisms of phage resistance in the <i>Staphylococcus</i> genus, which includes <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, one of the most concerning microorganisms in terms of antibiotic resistance acquisition. Some of these strategies involve permanent changes to the bacterial cell via mutations, while others are transient, adaptive changes whose expression depends on certain environmental cues or the growth phase. Finally, we discuss the most plausible strategies to limit the impact of phage resistance on therapy, with a special emphasis on the importance of a rational design of phage cocktails in order to thwart therapeutic failure. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:36:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f195bbd7a2c9486a825b633e820cbca6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4915 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:36:59Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Viruses |
| spelling | doaj.art-f195bbd7a2c9486a825b633e820cbca62023-11-23T13:32:40ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152022-05-01145106110.3390/v14051061Understanding the Mechanisms That Drive Phage Resistance in Staphylococci to Prevent Phage Therapy FailureAndrea Jurado0Lucía Fernández1Ana Rodríguez2Pilar García3Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Río Linares s/n, 33300 Villaviciosa, Asturias, SpainInstituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Río Linares s/n, 33300 Villaviciosa, Asturias, SpainInstituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Río Linares s/n, 33300 Villaviciosa, Asturias, SpainInstituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Río Linares s/n, 33300 Villaviciosa, Asturias, SpainDespite occurring at the microscopic scale, the armed race between phages and their bacterial hosts involves multiple mechanisms, some of which are just starting to be understood. On the one hand, bacteria have evolved strategies that can stop the viral infection at different stages (adsorption, DNA injection and replication, biosynthesis and assembly of the viral progeny and/or release of the newly formed virions); on the other, phages have gradually evolved counterattack strategies that allow them to continue infecting their prey. This co-evolutionary process has played a major role in the development of microbial populations in both natural and man-made environments. Notably, understanding the parameters of this microscopic war will be paramount to fully benefit from the application of phage therapy against dangerous, antibiotic-resistant human pathogens. This review gathers the current knowledge regarding the mechanisms of phage resistance in the <i>Staphylococcus</i> genus, which includes <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, one of the most concerning microorganisms in terms of antibiotic resistance acquisition. Some of these strategies involve permanent changes to the bacterial cell via mutations, while others are transient, adaptive changes whose expression depends on certain environmental cues or the growth phase. Finally, we discuss the most plausible strategies to limit the impact of phage resistance on therapy, with a special emphasis on the importance of a rational design of phage cocktails in order to thwart therapeutic failure.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/5/1061<i>Staphylococcus</i>phage resistance mechanismsadaptive resistancephage cocktails |
| spellingShingle | Andrea Jurado Lucía Fernández Ana Rodríguez Pilar García Understanding the Mechanisms That Drive Phage Resistance in Staphylococci to Prevent Phage Therapy Failure Viruses <i>Staphylococcus</i> phage resistance mechanisms adaptive resistance phage cocktails |
| title | Understanding the Mechanisms That Drive Phage Resistance in Staphylococci to Prevent Phage Therapy Failure |
| title_full | Understanding the Mechanisms That Drive Phage Resistance in Staphylococci to Prevent Phage Therapy Failure |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the Mechanisms That Drive Phage Resistance in Staphylococci to Prevent Phage Therapy Failure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the Mechanisms That Drive Phage Resistance in Staphylococci to Prevent Phage Therapy Failure |
| title_short | Understanding the Mechanisms That Drive Phage Resistance in Staphylococci to Prevent Phage Therapy Failure |
| title_sort | understanding the mechanisms that drive phage resistance in staphylococci to prevent phage therapy failure |
| topic | <i>Staphylococcus</i> phage resistance mechanisms adaptive resistance phage cocktails |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/5/1061 |
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