Potentiating Effect of Beauvericin on Colistin, a Last Resort Antibiotic in Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains

Suhajda, Ákos and Cserháti, Mátyás and Háhn, Judit and Kaszab, Edit and Fózer, Melinda and Krifaton, Csilla and Ábrahám, Renáta and Kriszt, Balázs (2026) Potentiating Effect of Beauvericin on Colistin, a Last Resort Antibiotic in Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains. ANTIBIOTICS, 15 (7). No. 631. ISSN 2079-6382

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Abstract

Background: The global emergence of antibiotic resistance highlights the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies, including adjuvants and potentiating compounds, against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a critical priority pathogen due to its high resistance potential and its ability to cause severe nosocomial infections. Beauvericin (BEA), a frequently detected mycotoxin, has been reported to exhibit various bioactive properties, including potential antibacterial and potentiating effects. Methods: The interaction between BEA and a last-resort antibiotic, colistin (COL), was evaluated in seven multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates using a microplate-based growth assay after preliminary MIC tests. Results: BEA at non-inhibitory concentrations (2.5–10 µg/mL) significantly enhanced the antibacterial activity of COL (1 and 2 µg/mL) in six out of seven isolates, resulting in a marked reduction in residual bacterial growth. Conclusions: BEA exhibited no measurable antibacterial activity at the concentrations used in the combination experiments but acted as a strain-dependent potentiator of colistin activity against multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa. The observed enhancement of colistin-mediated growth inhibition supports the potential of BEA as an antibiotic adjuvant at clinically relevant colistin concentrations and provides a basis for further mechanistic investigation.

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