The Weissella Genus: Clinically Treatable Bacteria with Antimicrobial/Probiotic Effects on Inflammation and Cancer

Abstract

Weissella is a genus earlier considered a member of the family Leuconostocaceae, which was reclassified into the family Lactobacillaceae in 1993. Recently, there have been studies emphasizing the probiotic and anti-inflammatory potential of various species of Weissella, of which W. confusa and W. cibaria are the most representative. Other species within this genus include: W. paramesenteroides, W. viridescens, W. halotolerans, W. minor, W. kandleri, W. soli, W. ghanensis, W. hellenica, W. thailandensis, W. fabalis, W. cryptocerci, W. koreensis, W. beninensis, W. fabaria, W. oryzae, W. ceti, W. uvarum, W. bombi, W. sagaensis, W. kimchi, W. muntiaci, W. jogaejeotgali, W. coleopterorum, W. hanii, W. salipiscis, and W. diestrammenae. Weissella confusa, W. paramesenteroides, W. koreensis, and W. cibaria are among the few species that have been isolated from human samples, although the identification of these and other species is possible using metagenomics, as we have shown for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and healthy controls. We were able to isolate Weissella in gut-associated bacteria (post 24 h food deprivation and laxatives). Other sources of isolation include fermented food, soil, and skin/gut/saliva of insects/animals. With the potential for hospital and industrial applications, there is a concern about possible infections. Herein, we present the current applications of Weissella on its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory mechanistic effects, the predisposing factors (e.g., vancomycin) for pathogenicity in humans, and the antimicrobials used in patients. To address the medical concerns, we examined 28 case reports focused on W. confusa and found that 78.5% of infections were bacteremia (of which 7 were fatal; 1 for lack of treatment), 8 were associated with underlying malignancies, and 8 with gastrointestinal procedures/diseases of which 2 were Crohn’s disease patients. In cases of a successful resolution, commonly administered antibiotics included: cephalosporin, ampicillin, piperacillin-tazobactam, and daptomycin. Despite reports of Weissella-related infections, the evolving mechanistic findings suggest that Weissella are clinically treatable bacteria with emerging antimicrobial and probiotic benefits ranging from oral health, skin care, obesity, and inflammatory diseases to cancer.

Comparative genomics of 40 Weissella paramesenteroides strains

“…The VanT racemase catalyzes the conversion of L-Ser to D-Ser in the production of D-Ala-D-Ser terminator (Meziane-Cherif et al, 2015). Although Weissella are intrinsically resistant to vancomycin (Ahmed et al, 2022), the resistance is most likely not easily transferred to pathogenic microbes. A very recent study by Fhoula et al (2022) showed that although W. paramesenteroides strain could receive antibiotic resistance genes from Bacillus strains at very low frequency of 10 −9 transconjugant per recipient, Weissella strains were not able to transfer their antibiotic resistance genes to Enterococcus strains.…”

Effect of Nano Cerium Dioxide on Intestinal Microflora in Rats by Oral Subchronic Exposure

“…The rest of the genus mostly has the characteristics of intestinal probiotics, such as fermentation of lactic acid, antagonism of harmful bacteria, and participation in the breakdown and utilization of brous food in the body (Kang et al, 2005;Lee et al, 2012). Moreover, Weissella confusion was found to have a signi cant effect on the improvement of intestinal mucosal barrier function (Ahmed et al, 2022). We therefore speculate that CeO 2 -NP ingestion reduced the abundance of Weissella, affected its protective effect on the intestinal mucosal barrier and allowed intestinal homeostasis to be disrupted, which in turn promoted the development of enteritis.…”

Assessment of safety and in situ antibacterial activity of Weissella cibaria strains isolated from Campos das Vertentes, Minas Gerais, Brazil for their food application

“…inhabit a wide range of ecological niches including plants, vegetables, soil, water, and fermented foods, where they assume a probiotic role (Fusco et al, 2015). Weissella species can also be found in habitats associated with the human or animal body, e.g., the GIT, vaginal microbiota or in human breast milk (Kamboj et al, 2015;Ahmed et al, 2022).…”