Antibiotic tolerance in biofilm persister cells of Staphylococcus aureus and expression of toxin-antitoxin system genes

Abstract The ability of Staphylococcus aureus to form biofilm and persister cells is the main cause of recurrent infections. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems in persister cells within S. aureus biofilms. Time-dependent variation in the persister population present in biofilms of S. aureus was examined after treatment with bactericidal antibiotics. Then, the relative expression level of type II TA system (mazF, relE1, and relE2), type I TA system (sprG), and clpP protease genes in S. aureus strains were assessed by Real _Time PCR. Among the sixteen isolates, two isolates were found to be the strongest biofilm producers. The established biofilm of these isolates showed a comparable biphasic pattern at the lethal dose of the antibiotics. The expression level of TA system genes was increased and strain-specific expression patterns were observed under antibiotics stress conditions. Persisters within a biofilm may establish a reservoir for relapsing infection and could contribute to treatment failures. Hence, the possible role of the TA systems should be considered in biofilm and persister cell formation.