Atomic force microscopy study of the antibacterial effect of fosfomycin on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius

Abstract

The influence of fosfomycin on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) as the target cell was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Nanoscale images of the effects of the antibiotic fosfomycin on this gram-positive bacterium’s cell were obtained in situ without fixing agents. Our study has demonstrated substantial morphological and topographical differences between the control and fosfomycin-treated MRSP cells. The AFM investigations further revealed the rough surface morphology and a 30 % shrinkage in size of the fosfomycin-treated cell and the leakage of cytoplasmic components from the cell. The damage of cell membrane integrity and the cell surface degradation as observed elaborates the antibacterial activity of fosfomycin. The AFM image analysis also reveals that the fosfomycin inhibits cell division, and prevents the adhesion on the surface discouraging the biofilm attachment. The micro-titre plate assay results conform to the atomic force microscopy image analysis. This is the first visual demonstration of the effect of fosfomycin on MRSP cells.