"Cat bacteria treats Mouse skin infection"
All of you know that, Skin is the very important part of the all living organisms. Skin provides the first line of defense by providing physical barrier with a low pH and temperature. When the protective skin barrier is damaged or develops a microbial dysbiosis, skin infections can arise. Mouse skin infection models are powerful tools to elucidate immune mechanisms of protection and identify therapeutic targets against skin infections. Mouse skin infections models are of 4 types on the basis of depth of infection.
Researchers found that a strain of bacteria on healthy cats that produces antibiotics against many different skin infections. The findings may soon lead to new bacteriotherapies for humans and their pets, wherein cat bacteria is applied through topical cream or spray. These bacteria acts on the basis for new therapeutics against several skin infections in humans, dogs and cats.
University of California San Diego School of Medicine used bacteria found on healthy cats to successfully treat a skin infection on mice. Skin is colonised by 100 of bacterial species that play important roles in skin health, Immunity and fighting infection.
Publication of this study in the journal eLife was led by Richard L. Gallo MD, PhD) which are the Chair of the Department of Dermatology at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Gallo said that- Our health absolutely depends on these good bacteria. They rely on our healthy skin to live, and in return, some of them protect us from 'bad' bacteria can take advantage of our weakened defenses and cause infection. This is case with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP), bacterium commonly found on domesticated animals that becomes infectious when tha animals are sick or injured. MRSP us an emerging pathogen that can jump between species and cause several atopic dermatitis, or eczema. This infections are common in dogs and cats, and can also occurs in human though rates of human infection vary around the world. As it's name suggests, MRSP is resistant to common antibiotics and has been difficult to treat in clinical and veterinary settings. To address this, researchers first screened a library of bacteria that normally live on dogs and cats and grew them in the presence of MRSP.
Cat bacteria is called as Staphylococcus felis that was especially good at inhibiting MRSP growth. This bacteria contains multiple antibiotics that kill MRSP by disrupting its cell wall and increasing the production of toxic free radicals. Gallo said that- the potency of this species is extreme. It is strongly capable of killing pathogens, in part because it attacks them from many sides- a strategy called as 'polypharmacy'. This makes it particularly attractive as a therapeutic. Having established how Staphylococcus felis kills the MRSP, the next step was to see whenever it could work as a therapy on a live animal. The team exposed mice to the most common form of the pathogen and then added either Staphylococcus felis bacterial extract to the same site.
The skin showed a reduction in scaling and redness after either treatment, compared with animals that had no treatment. There were also fewer viable MRSP bacteria left on the skin after treatment with Staphylococcus felis. The next steps include plans for a clinical trial to confirm whether Staphylococcus felis can be used to treat MRSP infections in dogs. Bacteriotherapies like this one can be delivered through topical sprays, creams or gels that contain either live bacteria or purified extract of the antimicrobial peptides.
Gallo said that, in this meantime -
1. Don't stop washing your pets to keep these good bacteria on them.
2. The skin has evolved to protect the good bacteria, so soap and detergents don't usually wash the good guys off.
