ETD

• auranofin
• bacteriophages
• biofilm
• biomedical implants
• ceftobiprole

The use of biomedical implants can lead to several complications, among which one of the most difficult to treat is the potential colonization by microorganisms, in particular Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. S. aureus and S. epidermidis biofilms challenge conventional antibiotic therapy. The aim of the thesis is the evaluation of alternative therapeutic strategies for the treatment of a panel of clinical isolates of S. aureus and S. epidermidis isolated from infections associated with medical devices. The antibiofilm activity of Daptomycin and Ceftobiprole, a newly developed antibiotic molecule, has been evaluated. Auranofin, a drug already in clinical use and candidate for a repositioning process, has been evaluated for its antibacterial activity. Nowadays bacteriophages, virus active against bacterial, represent a potential effective treatment alternative/adjuvant to antibiotics. Bacteriophages active against S. aureus and S. epidermidis have been isolated and their genomes were extracted and following bioinformatics analysis was performed. Lytic activity of phages against biofilm was evaluated.