Killing of a Multispecies Biofilm Using Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Targeted Antibiotic Released from High Purity Calcium Sulfate Beads

Background: Multispecies biofilm orthopedic infections are more challenging to treat than mono-species infections. In this in-vitro study, we aimed to determine if a multispecies biofilm, consisting of Gram positive and negative species with different antibiotic susceptibilities could be treated more effectively using high purity antibiotic-loaded calcium sulfate beads (HP-ALCSB) containing vancomycin (VAN) and tobramycin (TOB) in combination than alone.

Methods: Three sets of species pairs from bioluminescent strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and clinical isolates, Enterococcus faecalis (EF) and Enterobacter cloacae were screened for compatibility. PA + EF developed intermixed biofilms with similar cell concentrations and so were grown on 316L stainless steel coupons for 72 h or as 24 h agar lawn biofilms and then treated with HP-ALCSBs with single or combination antibiotics and assessed by viable count or bioluminescence and light imaging to distinguish each species. Replica plating was used to assess viability.

Results: The VAN + TOB bead significantly reduced the PA + EF biofilm CFU and reduced the concentration of surviving antibiotic tolerant variants by 50% compared to single antibiotics.

Conclusions: The combination of Gram-negative and positive targeted antibiotics released from HP-ALCSBs may be more effective in treating multispecies biofilms than monotherapy alone.