AUTHOR=Hu Shaohua , Lv Yan , Xu Hao , Zheng Beiwen , Xiao Yonghong 

TITLE=Biofilm formation and antibiotic sensitivity in Elizabethkingia anophelis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.953780

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2022.953780

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=Elizabethkingia anophelis has recently gained global attention and is emerging as a cause of life-threatening nosocomial infections. The present study aimed to investigate the association between antimicrobial resistance and the ability to form biofilm among E. anophelis isolated from hospitalized patients in China. Over ten years, a total of 197 non-duplicate E. anophelis strains were collected. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by the standard agar dilution method as a reference assay according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). The Biofilm biofilm production ability was assessed using a culture microtiter plate method, which was determined using a crystal violet assay. The cCulture plate results was were cross-checked by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging analysis. Among the 197 isolates, all were multidrug-resistant (MDR), and 20 were extensively drug-resistant (XDR). These cClinical E. anophelis showed high resistance to current antibiotics, and 99% of the isolates were resistant to at least seven antibiotics. The Resistance resistance rate for aztreonam, ceftazidime, imipenem, meropenem, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, cefepime, and tetracycline was , were high to as100%, 99%, 99%, 99%, 99%, 95%, 90%, respectively. However, the isolates exhibited the highest susceptibility to minocycline (100%), doxycycline (96%), and rifampin (94%). The results of biofilm formation results revealed that all strains could form biofilm. Among them, the proportions of strong, medium and weak biofilm-forming strains were 41%, 42% and 17%, respectively. Furthermore, the strains forming were strong or moderate forming of biofilm presented a statistically significant higher resistances than the weak formers (p <0.05), especially for piperacillin, piperacillin-tazobactam, cefepime, amikacin, and ciprofloxacin. Although E. anophelis was notoriously resistant to large antibiotics, minocycline, doxycycline, and rifampin showed potent activity against this pathogen. The data in the present report revealed a positive association between biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance, which will provide a foundation for improved therapeutic strategies against E. anophelis infections in the future.