An engineered Mycoplasma pneumoniae to fight Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Bacterial infections are commonly treated with antimicrobials, but the rise of multi-drug resistance and the presence of biofilms can compromise treatment efficacy. Recently, new approaches using live bacteria or engineered microorganisms have gained attention in the fight against several diseases. In their recent work, Lluch-Senar and colleagues (Garrido et al, 2021) genetically modified the lung pathogen Mycoplasma pneumoniae to attenuate its virulence and secrete antibiofilm and bactericidal enzymes. Their strategy successfully altered a Staphylococcus aureus biofilm on catheters implanted in mice, providing an additional demonstration of the potential of genetically engineered microorganisms as therapeutic agents.