Membrane Vesicles From C. acnes Isolates Compared With Differential Antibiotic Resistance

Improper antibiotic use might not only increase antibiotic resistance in Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) but could also further alter the cutaneous lipid composition and aggravate host inflammation, thus resulting in worse clinical manifestations in patients with acne, according to a study published in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology.

Researchers aimed to explore the mechanism of antibiotic resistance and the virulence components within C. acnes-derived membrane vesicles (MVs). Investigators isolated clinical C. acnes strains from the lesions of patients with acne who were sensitive or resistant to the antibiotics erythromycin and clindamycin.

In the study, the proteome of MVs from 4 sensitive C. acnes isolates and 3 resistant isolates by LC-MS/MS were analyzed. A total of 543 proteins within the MVs of clinical C. acnes strains were identified. In the C. acnes-derived MVs, virulence factors such as lipases, NlpC/P60, CAMP factor, and Hta domain protein were detected. The two lipases and FtsZ had significantly higher levels in resistant C. acnes-derived MVs compared with sensitive strains (P <.05).

“This study re-emphasizes that the improper use of antibiotics should be treated more seriously in clinical practice,” concluded the study authors. “Furthermore, to combat multidrug resistance in C. acnes, this study suggests that FtsZ inhibitors could be useful,” they added.

Reference
Jiang M, Fan X, Jiang Z, et al. Comparative proteomic analysis of membrane vesicles from clinical C. acnes isolates with differential antibiotic resistance. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. Published online April 17, 2022. doi: 10.2147/CCID.S363537.