The research program of the group coordinated by Dr. Lagatolla is centred on epidemiology and genetics of bacterial drug resistance. Molecular biology techniques are used for typing bacteria, that is the differentiation between strains belonging to the same species, looking for those carrying genetic determinants that confer either virulence or resistance to drugs. In collaboration with the SC Infectious Diseases of ASUGI, studies are also conducted to look for synergisms between drugs already available on the market, in order to identify more effective therapeutic approaches towards multiresistant species that are responsible for particularly worrying hospital infections.

Recently, the research interests of the team have focused on the production of biofilm, a surface-associated microbial community enclosed in an extracellular matrix, which contribute to protect bacterial cells towards a large array of antimicrobial compounds. At the centrepiece of this project there is the study of biofilm production on medical devices, looking for systems able either to reduce its formation or to break up the matrix after its production.

Synergistic activity of old and new antibacterial drugs towards multidrug resistant clinical isolates

The spread of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria belonging to the ESKAPE group (E. faecium, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp.) is very worrisome in clinical environments, as they are frequently involved in nosocomial infections characterized by high rates of morbidity, mortality and prolonged hospitalization. As these microorganisms show cross-resistance towards different antibiotic classes, treatment options are often limited. In the past, several new drugs were developed regularly, but in the early 2000’s the antibiotic discovery slowed down, due both to the growing difficulty in identifying ever-new molecules and to the decline in investments, public and private. Subsequently, in the last decade there has been a partial reversal of trend, but the fact that the definitive approval on the market of a new drug requires long times, even up to ten years, means that faster alternatives for the clinical practice must be found. In this regard, the use of combination of molecules already available on the market is carefully evaluated, especially if they show synergistic activity. With this purpose, our research group is evaluating the possible use, in combination with antibiotics commonly used in clinical practice, of some drugs that: i) were originally developed for different clinical purposes; ii) antibiotics that were used in the past and that today, for various reasons, have been nearly abandoned.

Preliminary results identified some promising molecules whose activity against MDR clinical isolates, mainly vancomycin-resistant enterococci and carbapenem-resistant enterobacteria, is being evaluated.