Bactericidal Activity and Synergy Studies of Peptide AP-CECT7121 Against Multi-resistant Bacteria Isolated from Human and Animal Soft Tissue Infections

AP-CECT7121 is an antimicrobial peptide, produced by Enterococcus faecalis CECT7121, with bactericidal activity against Gram-positive bacteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bactericidal activity of AP-CECT7121, alone and with gentamicin, against multi-resistant bacteria isolated from human and animals with soft tissue infections. During the period 2014–2015, bacterial strains producing human and animal soft tissue infections were studied. Samples from patients attended at a general hospital and cattle from four dairies in the Province of Buenos Aires (Argentina) were included. Twenty-two methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (11, human blood samples; 11, cow milk) and five vancomycin-resistant Ent. faecium strains isolated from four mastitic dairy cows were tested. AP-CECT7121 (12 mg/L) potency was assessed by time-kill curves alone or with sub-inhibitory concentrations of gentamicin. All staphylococcal strains were susceptible to gentamicin; enterococci did not show high-level gentamicin resistance. Colony counts were carried out at 0, 2, 4, 8, and 24 h of incubation. AP-CECT7121 showed bactericidal activity against all the enterococcal strains. In addition, AP-CECT7121 had a bactericidal effect on most staphylococci (16/22). Early AP-CECT7121/gentamicin synergy (4–8 h) for all staphylococci was detected. At 24 h, synergy (19/22) and indifference (3/22) were observed. Synergy with gentamicin was detected for staphylococci. AP-CECT7121 constitutes an attractive candidate for its use as a natural therapeutic tool for the treatment of infections produced by multi-resistant Staph. aureus and vancomycin-resistant Ent. faecium isolated from humans and animals.