Antimicrobial Activity of a Lipidated Temporin L Analogue against Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Clinical Isolates

• Published in: Antibiotics (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 11; p. 1312
• Main Authors: Roscetto, Emanuela, Bellavita, Rosa, Paolillo, Rossella, Merlino, Francesco, Molfetta, Nicola, Grieco, Paolo, Buommino, Elisabetta, Catania, Maria Rosaria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 28.10.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Amides; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antimicrobial activity; Antimicrobial agents; Antimicrobial peptides; Bacteria; Bactericidal activity; Carbapenemase; carbapenemases; Carbapenems; Clinical isolates; Drug resistance; Enzymes; ESKAPE; healthcare-associated infections; Infections; Klebsiella; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Minimum inhibitory concentration; Multidrug resistance; Multidrug resistant organisms; Peptides; Strains (organisms); β Lactamase; β-Lactam antibiotics
• ISSN: 2079-6382; 2079-6382
• DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10111312

Over the years, the increasing acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes has led to the emergence of highly resistant bacterial strains and the loss of standard antibiotics’ efficacy, including β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations and the last line carbapenems. Klebsiella pneumoniae is considered one of the major exponents of a group of multidrug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens responsible for serious healthcare-associated infections. In this study, we proved the antimicrobial activity of two analogues of Temporin L against twenty carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae clinical isolates. According to the antibiotic susceptibility assay, all the K. pneumoniae strains were resistant to at least one other class of antibiotics, in addition to beta-lactams. Peptides 1B and C showed activity on all test strains, but the lipidated analogue C expressed the greater antimicrobial properties, with MIC values ranging from 6.25 to 25 µM. Furthermore, the peptide C showed bactericidal activity at MIC values. The results clearly highlight the great potential of antimicrobial peptides both as a new treatment option for difficult-to-treat infections and as a new strategy of drug-resistance control.