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Home / Equine Research Bank / Antimicrob Agents Chemother / The equine antimicrobial peptide eCATH1 is effective against...
Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy2013; 57(10); 4615-4621; doi: 10.1128/AAC.02044-12

The equine antimicrobial peptide eCATH1 is effective against the facultative intracellular pathogen Rhodococcus equi in mice.

Abstract: Rhodococcus equi, the causal agent of rhodococcosis, is a major pathogen of foals and is also responsible for severe infections in immunocompromised humans. Of great concern, strains resistant to currently used antibiotics have emerged. As the number of drugs that are efficient in vivo is limited because of the intracellular localization of the bacterium inside macrophages, new active but cell-permeant drugs will be needed in the near future. In the present study, we evaluated, by in vitro and ex vivo experiments, the ability of the alpha-helical equine antimicrobial peptide eCATH1 to kill intracellular bacterial cells. Moreover, the therapeutic potential of the peptide was assessed in experimental rhodococcosis induced in mice, while the in vivo toxicity was evaluated by behavioral and histopathological analysis. The study revealed that eCATH1 significantly reduced the number of bacteria inside macrophages. Furthermore, the bactericidal potential of the peptide was maintained in vivo at doses that appeared to have no visible deleterious effects for the mice even after 7 days of treatment. Indeed, daily subcutaneous injections of 1 mg/kg body weight of eCATH1 led to a significant reduction of the bacterial load in organs comparable to that obtained after treatment with 10 mg/kg body weight of rifampin. Interestingly, the combination of the peptide with rifampin showed a synergistic interaction in both ex vivo and in vivo experiments. These results emphasize the therapeutic potential that eCATH1 represents in the treatment of rhodococcosis.
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Publication Date: 2013-07-01 PubMed ID: 23817377PubMed Central: PMC3811442DOI: 10.1128/AAC.02044-12Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study explored the effectiveness of the antimicrobial peptide eCATH1, derived from horses, in combating the intracellular bacterium Rhodococcus equi in mice. Its findings show that eCATH1 significantly reduces the number of bacteria in cells and its potential in treating rhodococcosis without harmful effects to the mice.

Introduction

  • The research revolves around Rhodococcus equi, a pathogen that primarily affects foals but also cause severe infections in humans with compromised immune systems.
  • There are concerns about the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, and due to the bacterium’s intracellular localization inside macrophages, the number of drugs that can effectively treat this in vivo is limited.
  • Therefore, the researchers aim to explore and create new active drugs that can permeate cells and combat the pathogen more effectively.
  • In this study, the researchers focus on eCATH1, an alpha-helical equine antimicrobial peptide, and evaluate its effectiveness against intracellular bacterial cells.

Methodology

  • The impact of eCATH1 peptide was evaluated through in vitro and ex vivo experiments. The peptide’s therapeutic potential was also assessed through rhodococcosis induced in mice.
  • The researchers also evaluated the in vivo toxicity of the peptide using behavioral and histopathological analysis.

Results

  • The findings demonstrated that eCATH1 significantly reduced the number of bacteria inside macrophages, demonstrating a strong bactericidal potential.
  • The study also showed that the bactericidal potential of the peptide was maintained in vivo, with no visible deleterious effects on the mice even after 7 days of treatment.
  • Daily subcutaneous injections of 1 mg/kg body weight of eCATH1 led to a significant reduction of the bacterial load in organs, a result comparable to treatment with 10 mg/kg body weight of rifampin, a well-known antibiotic.
  • The combination of the peptide with rifampin showed a synergistic interaction in both ex vivo and in vivo experiments.

Conclusion

  • The research results underscore the therapeutic potential of eCATH1 in the treatment of rhodococcosis by showing its ability to penetrate cells and effectively reduce the bacterial load without causing apparent harm to the host.

Cite This Article

APA
Schlusselhuber M, Torelli R, Martini C, Leippe M, Cattoir V, Leclercq R, Laugier C, Grötzinger J, Sanguinetti M, Cauchard J. (2013). The equine antimicrobial peptide eCATH1 is effective against the facultative intracellular pathogen Rhodococcus equi in mice. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 57(10), 4615-4621. https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.02044-12

Publication

Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy
ISSN: 1098-6596
NlmUniqueID: 0315061
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 57
Issue: 10
Pages: 4615-4621

Researcher Affiliations

Schlusselhuber, Margot
  • Anses, Dozulé Laboratory for Equine Diseases, Bacteriology and Parasitology Unit, Goustranville, Dozulé, France.
Torelli, Riccardo
    Martini, Cecilia
      Leippe, Matthias
        Cattoir, Vincent
          Leclercq, Roland
            Laugier, Claire
              Grötzinger, Joachim
                Sanguinetti, Maurizio
                  Cauchard, Julien

                    MeSH Terms

                    • Actinomycetales Infections / drug therapy
                    • Animals
                    • Anti-Infective Agents / therapeutic use
                    • Cell Line
                    • Macrophages, Peritoneal / microbiology
                    • Mice
                    • Mice, Inbred BALB C
                    • Microscopy, Fluorescence
                    • Rhodococcus equi / drug effects
                    • Rhodococcus equi / pathogenicity
                    • Rifampin / therapeutic use

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