Summary: | Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most frequent vaginal infection in women of reproductive age. It is caused by the overgrowth of anaerobic vaginal pathogens, such as <i>Gardnerella vaginalis</i>, <i>Fannyhessea vaginae</i>, and <i>Prevotella bivia</i>, which are vaginal pathogens detected during the early stages of incident BV and have been found to form multi-species biofilms. Treatment of biofilm-associated infections, such as BV, is challenging. In this study, we tested the role of an investigational engineered phage endolysin, PM-477, in the eradication of dual-species biofilms composed of <i>G. vaginalis</i>–<i>F. vaginae</i> or <i>G. vaginalis</i>–<i>P. bivia</i>. Single-species biofilms formed by these species were also analysed as controls. The effect of PM-477 on biomass and culturability of single- and dual-species biofilms was assessed in vitro using a microtiter plate assay, epifluorescence microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and quantitative PCR. The results showed that PM-477 was particularly effective in the disruption and reduction of culturability of <i>G. vaginalis</i> biofilms. In dual-species biofilms, PM-477 exhibited lower efficiency but was still able to selectively and significantly eliminate <i>G. vaginalis.</i> Since polymicrobial interactions have been shown to strongly affect the activity of various antibiotics, the activity of PM-477 in dual-species biofilms is a potentially promising result that should be further explored, aiming to completely eradicate multi-species biofilms associated with BV.
|