Publications

Aerococcus urinae and Globicatella sanguinis Persist in Polymicrobial Urethral Catheter Biofilms Examined in Longitudinal Profiles at the Proteomic Level

Yu Y, Tsitrin T, Bekele S, Thovarai V, Torralba MG, Singh H, Wolcott R, Doerfert SN, Sizova MV, Epstein SS, Pieper R

PMID: 31555049

Abstract

() and () are gram-positive bacteria belonging to the family Aerococcaceae and colonize the human immunocompromised and catheterized urinary tract. We identified both pathogens in polymicrobial urethral catheter biofilms (CBs) with a combination of 16S rDNA sequencing, proteomic analyses, and microbial cultures. Longitudinal sampling of biofilms from serially replaced catheters revealed that each species persisted in the urinary tract of a patient in cohabitation with 1 or more gram-negative uropathogens. The and proteomes revealed active glycolytic, heterolactic fermentation, and peptide catabolic energy metabolism pathways in an anaerobic milieu. A few phosphotransferase system (PTS)-based sugar uptake and oligopeptide ABC transport systems were highly expressed, indicating adaptations to the supply of nutrients in urine and from exfoliating squamous epithelial and urothelial cells. Differences in the vs metabolisms pertained to citrate lyase and utilization and storage of glycogen (evident only in proteomes) and to the enzyme Xfp that degrades d-xylulose-5'-phosphate and the biosynthetic pathways for 2 protein cofactors, pyridoxal 6'-phosphate and 4'-phosphopantothenate (expressed only in proteomes). A predicted ZnuA-like transition metal ion uptake system was identified for while expressed 2 LPXTG-anchored surface proteins, one of which had a predicted pilin D adhesion motif. While these proteins may contribute to fitness and virulence in the human host, it cannot be ruled out that and fill a niche in polymicrobial biofilms without being the direct cause of injury in urothelial tissues.