Identification of cell envelop-specific targets for antimicrobials against Staphylococcus epidermidis pathogenic strains
Duration: minimum 12 weeks
Detalhes
BACKGROUND
Staphylococcus epidermidis include the skin microbiota and contribute to homeostasis and protection against pathogens. However, they are the most frequent cause of medical device-associated infections. Skin isolates belonging to clonal complex 2 (CC2) lineage are the major colonizers and the more frequent strains in infection, but they share their ecological niche with other minor genetic backgrounds (non-CC2). Discovery of biological processes and/or metabolic pathways that discriminate strains from these two lineages will have potential application on the development of additives to supplement general use disinfectants during clinical practice. Comparative genomics and proteomics analyses previously performed by us for two selected S. epidermidis strains belonging to the two lineages, showed that they display different metabolic and phenotypic profiles. Enrichment on the cell wall proteome will complement the data previously obtained from the whole cell with more accessible protein targets.
OBJECTIVES
Identification of proteins and biological processes that can be used as specific targets for antimicrobial activity against S. epidermidis pathogenic strains colonizing the skin.