Antibacterial and therapeutic effects of Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteriocin (VRSAcin) in treatment of VRSA skin infection in mice

Abstract

Abstract Vancomycin Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) is a strain belonging to S. aureus that is considered the main cause of bacterial skin and soft tissue infections. It has acquired resistance to vancomycin and represents a therapeutic challenge. The current study aimed to compare the possible therapeutic effects of VRSA bacteriocin (VRSAcin) on the treatment of skin infection in mice compared with an antibiotic (linezolid). The results showed that from fifty swabs obtained from human skin wounds, only 30 samples were identified as Staphylococcus spp., and 20 samples of them were identified as VRSA strains. One isolate was selected for VRSAcin extraction depending on its antibiotic resistance using an antibiotic susceptibility test. The typical conditions for the production of VRSAcin include pH 7 and a temperature of 37°C for 48 hours. In mice, VRSA-contaminated wounds revealed severe tissue distraction and inflammation that extended to the hypodermis, while VRSA-treated skin showed mild changes and localized lesions to the epidermis and upper dermis. Linezolid-ointment-treated skin shows moderate to severe changes. In conclusion, VRSA strain infections in human burned skin were found to be more common than expected. In vivo studies in mice indicated that wounded skin infected with VRSA can be treated with VRSAcin as an antibacterial agent that promotes healing processes with obvious superiority to linezolid ointment.