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JAC Advance Access originally published online on October 26, 2007
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2008 61(1):117-122; doi:10.1093/jac/dkm407
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Original research

Maggot excretions/secretions are differentially effective against biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Mariena J. A. van der Plas1,2, Gerrolt N. Jukema2,{dagger}, Sin-Wen Wai1,3, Heleen C. M. Dogterom-Ballering1, Ellen L. Lagendijk3, Co van Gulpen1, Jaap T. van Dissel1, Guido V. Bloemberg3,{ddagger} and Peter H. Nibbering1,*,{ddagger}

1 Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands 2 Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands 3 Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

Received 29 May 2007; returned 22 July 2007; revised 28 September 2007; accepted 3 October 2007

* Corresponding author. Tel: +31-71-526-2204; Fax: +31-71-526-6758; E-mail: p.h.nibbering{at}lumc.nl

Objectives: Lucilia sericata maggots are successfully used for treating chronic wounds. As the healing process in these wounds is complicated by bacteria, particularly when residing in biofilms that protect them from antibiotics and the immune system, we assessed the effects of maggot excretions/secretions (ES) on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms, the clinically most relevant species.

Methods: We assessed the effects of ES on biofilms using microtitre plate assays, on bacterial viability using in vitro killing and radial diffusion assays, and on quorum sensing systems using specific reporter bacteria.

Results: As little as 0.2 µg of ES prevented S. aureus biofilm formation and 2 µg of ES rapidly degraded biofilms. In contrast, ES initially promoted P. aeruginosa biofilm formation, but after 10 h the biofilms collapsed. Degradation of P. aeruginosa biofilms started after 10 h and required 10-fold more ES than S. aureus biofilms. Boiling of ES abrogated their effects on S. aureus, but not on P. aeruginosa, biofilms, indicating that different molecules within ES are responsible for the observed effects. Modulation of biofilms by ES did not involve bacterial killing or effects on quorum sensing systems.

Conclusions: Maggot ES are differentially effective against biofilms of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa.

Keywords: Lucilia sericata , bacterial killing , quorum sensing

{dagger} Present address. Department of Trauma Surgery, Free University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

{ddagger} These authors contributed equally to this study.


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