Curbing gastrointestinal infections by defensin fragment modifications without harming commensal microbiota

Abstract

Here, the authors designed a lipopeptide, Pam-3, based on an eight-amino acid carboxyl-terminal fragment of human β-defensin 1 with prominent antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens and antibiofilm properties. They show in mouse models, that Pam-3 selectively reduced acute intestinal Salmonella and established Citrobacter infections, without compromising the core microbiota.