The genus Proteus belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family, where it is placed in the tribe Proteeae, together with the genera Morganella and Providencia. Currently, the genus Proteus consists of five species: P. mirabilis, P. vulgaris, P. penneri, P. hauseri and P. myxofaciens, as well as three unnamed Proteus genomospecies. The most defining characteristic of Proteus bacteria is a swarming phenomenon, a multicellular differentiation process of short rods to elongated swarmer cells. It allows population of bacteria to migrate on solid surface. Proteus bacteria inhabit the environment and are also present in the intestines of humans and animals. These microorganisms under favorable conditions cause a number of infections including urinary tract infections (UTIs), wound infections, meningitis in neonates or infants and rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, Proteus is known as a bacterial opportunistic pathogen. It causes complicated UTIs with a higher frequency, compared to other uropathogens. Proteus infections are accompanied by a formation of urinary stones, containing struvite and carbonate apatite. The virulence of Proteus rods has been related to several factors including fimbriae, flagella, enzymes (urease - hydrolyzing urea to CO2 and NH3, proteases degrading antibodies, tissue matrix proteins and proteins of the complement system), iron acqusition systems and toxins: hemolysins, Proteus toxin agglutinin (Pta), as well as an endotoxin - lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Proteus rods form biofilm, particularly on the surface of urinary catheters, which can lead to serious consequences for patients. In this review we present factors involved in the regulation of swarming phenomenon, discuss the role of particular pathogenic features of Proteus spp., and characterize biofilm formation by these bacteria.

Urinary tract infections are a common disease in humans. Therefore, new methods are needed to destroy biofilms that are formed by uropathogens. Iturin A lipopeptides (LPs) C14 and C15 are potent biosurfactants synthetized by the Bacillus subtilis I 0 1a strain. The biological activity of extracted LPs was confirmed by examining extracts from I 0 1a cultures against uropathogenic bacteria that had been isolated from biofilms on urinary catheters. Compared with cultures of DSM 3257, which produce surfactin at a relatively low level, the extract obtained from strain I 0 1a exhibited a greater inhibitory effect against both planktonic and sessile forms of Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus mirabilis, Citrobacter freundii and Enterococcus faecalis. Moreover, cyclic LP biosurfactants may disturb the integrity of cytoplasmic membranes; therefore, we investigated the effects of synthetized LPs on fatty acids and phospholipids of B. subtilis. LPs and lipids were analyzed using GC-MS, LC-MS/MS and MALDI-TOF/TOF techniques. Compared with B. subtilis DSM 3257, membranes of the I 0 1a strain were characterized by an increased amount of anteiso fatty acids and a ten-fold higher ratio of phosphatidylglycerol (PG)-to-phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Interestingly, in cultures of B. subtilis DSM 3257 supplemented with LP extracts of the I 0 1a strain, the PG-to-PE ratio was fourfold higher, and the amount of anteiso fatty acids was also increased.

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The objectives of the investigation presented in this paper were: to examine the frequency of P. mirabilis isolation from catheters and assess the complexity of multi-species biofilms which these bacteria form, as well as to determine the vulnerability of planktonic and sessile P. mirabilis populations to popular antibiotics and compare it to the susceptibility of other Gram-negative bacteria isolated as associated flora from multi-species biofilm. 88 urological catheters, collected from long-term catheterized patients were examined. Uropathogens were recovered from the catheter surface by sonication, and identified on standard diagnostic media. The broth-microdilution method and the MBEC High-throughput Screening assay were used to determine the bacterial resistance to antibiotics. 279 microorganisms were isolated from 88 urinary catheter biofilms. The Enterobacteriaceae family were the most frequently detected bacteria (53.2% of isolates), whereas Proteus spp. isolation accounted for 17.9%, which placed these bacilli on the third position in the Enterobacteraceae family. Among all the tested drugs, amikacin and cephalosporins (ceftriaxone, cefotaxime and cefaclor) exhibited the highest activity against P. mirabilis planktonic cells, 86% and 73% of strains were susceptible to these antibiotics, respectively. 100% of P. mirabilis sessile forms were resistant to cefepime, ciprofloxacin, gatifloxacin, and norfloxacin. Amikacin and ceftriaxone affected only 5% of sessile forms. The planktonic cells of the other studied uropathogens were mostly vulnerable to the all tested drugs (exception P. aeruginosa strains), the most effective of which occurred to be amikacin and cefepime. Obtained MBECs values were 2-512-fold higher than MICs assessed for planktonic forms.

The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial effect of lipopeptide biosurfactants from surfactin, iturin and fengycin families, synthesised by the Bacillus subtilis I'1a strain, on uropathogenic bacteria, including the effects on planktonic growth, processes of biofilm formation and dislodging. Antimicrobial activity was tested against 32 uropathogenic strains belonging to 12 different species of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The sensitivity of 25 tested bacterial strains to the B. subtilis I'1a filtrate was confirmed by an agar diffusion assay. None of the strains seemed to be sensitive to pure surfactin at concentrations ranging from 0.1 mg × ml(-1) to 0.4 mg ml(-1). After the treatment of uropathogens with B. subtilis lipopeptides, the metabolic activity of planktonic cells was inhibited by 88.05±3.96% in the case of 21 studied uropathogens, the process of biofilm formation was reduced by 88.15±4.77% in the case of 24 uropathogens and mature biofilms of 18 strains were dislodged by about 81.20±4.72%. Ten strains of uropathogenic bacteria were selected to study the antimicrobial activity of surfactin (concentrations 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg × ml(-1)). Surfactin had no influence on the metabolic activity of planktonic forms of uropathogens, however, biofilms of 5 tested strains were reduced by 64.77±9.05% in the presence of this biosurfactant at the concentration 0.1 mg × ml(-1). The negative effect of the compound on the biofilm formation process was observed at all concentrations used. The above-described results were fully confirmed by CLSM. It could suggest that synergistic application of biosurfactants could be efficient in uropathogen eradication.

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The extracellular matrix in biofilm consists of water, proteins, polysaccharides, nucleic acids and phospholipids. Synthesis of these components is influenced by many factors, e.g. environment conditions or carbon source. The aim of the study was to analyse polysaccharides levels in Proteus mirabilis biofilms after exposure to stress and nutritional conditions. Biofilms of 22 P. mirabilis strains were cultivated for 24, 48, 72 hours, 1 and 2 weeks in tryptone soya broth or in modified media containing an additional amount of nutrients (glucose, albumin) or stress factors (cefotaxime, pH 4, nutrient depletion). Proteins and total polysaccharides levels were studied by Lowry and the phenol-sulphuric acid methods, respectively. Glycoproteins levels were calculated by ELLA with the use of selected lectins (WGA and HPA). For CLSM analysis dual fluorescent staining was applied with SYTO 13 and WGA-TRITC. In optimal conditions the levels of polysaccharides were from 0 to 442 μg/mg of protein and differed depending on the strains and cultivation time. The agents used in this study had a significant impact on the polysaccharides synthesis in the P. mirabilis biofilm. Among all studied components (depending on tested methods), glucose and cefotaxime stimulated the greatest production of polysaccharides by P. mirabilis strains (more than a twofold increase). For most tested strains the highest amounts of sugars were detected after one week of incubation. CLSM analysis confirmed the overproduction of N-acetyloglucosamine in biofilms after cultivation in nutrient and stress conditions, with the level 111-1134%, which varied depending on the P. mirabilis strain and the test factor. *Presented at the 3-rd Workshop on Microbiology "MIKROBIOT 2013" in Łódź, Poland. Abbreviations: ABTS 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid), CAUTI catheter associated urinary tract infection, CLSM confocal laser scanning microscope, CTX cefotaxime, DMSO dimethyl sulfoxide, ECM extracellular matrix, ELLA enzyme linked lectinosorbent assay, EPS extracellular polysaccharides, GalNAc N-acetylgalactosamine, GlcNAc N-acetylglucosamine, HPA Helix pomatia agglutinin, PBS phosphate buffered saline, TRITC tetramethylrhodamine-5-(and-6)-isothiocyanate, TSB tryptone soya broth, UTI urinary tract infection, WGA wheat germ agglutinin

Modification of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) is the first line of Gram-negative bacteria defence against antimicrobials. Here we point to Proteus mirabilis OMPs and their role in antibiotic and phage resistance. Protein profiles of amikacin (AMKrsv), phage (Brsv) and amikacin/phage (AMK/Brsv) resistant variants of P. mirabilis were compared to that obtained for a wild strain. In resistant variants there were identified 14, 1, 5 overexpressed and 13, 5, 1 downregulated proteins for AMKrsv, Brsv and AMK/Brsv, respectively. Application of phages with amikacin led to reducing the number of up- and downregulated proteins compared to single antibiotic treatment. Proteins isolated in AMKrsv are involved in protein biosynthesis, transcription and signal transduction, which correspond to well-known mechanisms of bacteria resistance to aminoglycosides. In isolated OMPs several cytoplasmic proteins, important in antibiotic resistance, were identified, probably as a result of environmental stress, e.g. elongation factor Tu, asparaginyl-tRNA and aspartyl-tRNA synthetases. In Brsv there were identified: NusA and dynamin superfamily protein which could play a role in bacteriophage resistance. In the resistant variants proteins associated with resistance mechanisms occurring in biofilm, e.g. polyphosphate kinase, flagella basal body rod protein were detected. These results indicate proteins important in the development of P. mirabilis antibiofilm therapies.