Shelby Jones-Dozier and George E. Pierce. Applied & Environmental Microbiology, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 4010, Atlanta, GA 30302
Nosocomial infections caused by implanted medical-devices are on the rise due to a growing immunocompromised patient population and increasing antibiotic resistance in opportunistic pathogens. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the fourth most common isolate from device-associated infections and has been found to suppress the growth and kill Candida albicans, the seventh most common isolate from devices. P. aeruginosa uses quorum- sensing mimicry and biofilm formation on the hyphal surface of C. albicans to suppress and kill the competing fungus. C. albicans is a dimorphic fungus capable of quorum sensing with E,E-farnesol. This compound also has commercial applications in the cosmetics and perfume industry and is the focus of this work. Prior work with 2D DIGEŽ to determine if P. aeruginosa can sense and respond to E,E-farnesol revealed potentially deleterious influences on metabolic patterns, quorum sensing, and membrane architecture in P. aeruginosa. Antibiotic susceptibility testing and imaging experiments have revealed increased susceptibility in P. aeruginosa cells that have been exposed to E,E-farnesol. This data suggests powerful new applications for this fungal compound in a clinical setting to treat P. aeruginosa infections.