Partners in Crime: Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Team Up

When P. aeruginosa is also present, S. aureus becomes less susceptible to clindamycin.

Polymicrobial infections are known to be more challenging to treat than monomicrobial ones (Transpl Infect Dis 2015; 17:267). It is unclear whether worse outcomes in patients with polymicrobial infections are due to enhanced pathogenicity of the bacteria or to a greater likelihood of inappropriate antibiotic therapy covering the organisms involved. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus interactions in wounds have been shown to enhance pathogenicity and host colonization (Pathog Dis 2018; 76:fty003).

Now, researchers have used time–kill experiments of P. aeruginosa strain PA01 and either normal-phenotype (NP) or small-colony variant (SCV) methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) grown in mono- and cocultures to assay the activities o…

Reviewing Author

George Sakoulas, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParatek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.; AbbVie; Shionogi

Speaker’s BureauAllergan/AbbVie; Paratek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsAntimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; Open Forum Infectious Diseases