In vitro evaluation of DispersinB on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius biofilm

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) is an important canine pathogen that has been shown to produce biofilm in vitro. Biofilm production may be an important virulence factor and methods to eliminate biofilm-associated infections are required. An enzyme of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, DispersinB, has been shown to degrade the extracellular matrix in the biofilm of a variety of bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of DispersinB on MRSP biofilm production and eradication in vitro.A quantitative microtitre plate assay was used to assess the impact of DispersinB on 30 MRSP isolates from dogs. While DispersinB did not have any effect on MRSP growth (P = 0.98), it reduced biofilm formation (P = 0.0002) and degraded established biofilm (P = 0.0001). These data indicate that in vivo study of the effect of this enzyme in indicated to determine if it may be a useful treatment option for MRSP biofilm-associated infections.