The Need to Develop New Antimicrobial Molecules, as Revealed by in vitro Assessment of Drug Resistance in Staphylococcal Skin Infections Treated with Autologous Bacterial Vaccine

Abstract

Staphylococcus spp. is a facultative pathogen, which can be found in the commensal microbiota of humans, most often in moist skinfolds and mucous membranes. This microorganism has the ability to cause various infections, in almost every organ of the body, with an increased frequency in the skin and soft tissues, being involved in pathologies like acne, folliculitis, furunculosis, hidradenitis suppurativa, cellulitis, abscesses, but also in secondary infections in diseases with an altered cutaneous barrier. The prolonged evolution of these diseases and severe outcome can be influenced by various factors, most importantly being the antimicrobial resistance. We have evaluated the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, according to the Comite de l` Antibiogramme de la Societe Francaise de Microbiologie recommendations, for strains of Staphylococcus spp. isolated from acne or different types of skin and soft tissue infections in patients recommended to receive autologous bacterial vaccine. Most frequent identified species was Staphylococcus epidermidis, followed by Staphylococcus aureus. The antimicrobial resistance was higher for antibiotics usually used in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections, with interesting differences of the resistance profile for the strains isolated from patients before receiving autologous bacterial vaccine compared with the ones from individuals already treated. Another important finding was represented by the differences in the resistance profile according to the age group of the patients. The results of this study underline the importance of antimicrobial resistance surveillance in finding new molecules and alternative therapies, the necessity of a personalized approach in medical acts and of a continuous connection between clinic and laboratory research.