Abstract

Swarming motility is the rapid and coordinated multicellular migration of bacteria across a moist surface. During swarming, bacterial cells exhibit increased resistance to multiple antibiotics, a phenomenon described as adaptive or transient resistance. In this study, we demonstrate that sub-inhibitory concentrations of cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim, or chloramphenicol, but not that of amikacin, colistin, kanamycin or tetracycline, impair swarming. Chloramphenicol-treated cells exhibited a clear decrease in their flagellar content, while treatment with other antibiotics that reduced swarming (cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim) inhibited polar chemoreceptor array assembly. Moreover, the increased resistance phenotype acquired by swarming cells was abolished by the presence of these antimicrobials. The same occurred in cells treated with these antimicrobial agents in combination with others that had no effect on swarming motility. Our results reveal the potential of inhibiting swarming ability to enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of antimicrobial agents.

Alternate Journal
Front Microbiol
Authors
Irazoki, Oihane, Barbé, Jordi, and Campoy, Susana
Citation Key
130
COinS Data

Date Published
2017
DOI
10.3389/fmicb.2017.01360
ISSN
1664-302X
Pagination
1360
Journal
Front Microbiol
Volume
8
Year of Publication
2017