Gene Expression Analysis of Biofilm Formation and Antimicrobial Resistance in Clinical Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

August 28, 2026 updated by: Renad Mohammed Abdelhafez, Sohag University

Gene Expression Analysis of Biofilm Formation and Antimicrobial Resistance in Clinical Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Isolates From Surgical Site Infections Exposed to Probiotic Cell-Free Supernatant

Staphylococcus aureus are Gram-positive cocci that asymptomatically colonize the skin and mucosal surfaces of approximately 20-30% of healthy individuals . Although they commonly exist as a harmless commensal organisms, S. aureus are one of the most clinically significant opportunistic pathogens, causing a wide range of community and healthcare-associated infections. These infections vary from superficial skin and soft tissue infections to severe invasive diseases, including bacteremia, infective endocarditis, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, and device-associated infections .

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The global emergence and dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have further complicated the treatment of these infections because of its resistance to β-lactam antibiotics and many other antimicrobial agents, leading to increased morbidity, mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and substantial healthcare costs worldwide.

The pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus is largely attributed to its diverse virulence factors, which facilitate bacterial adhesion, tissue invasion, immune evasion, and persistence within the host. These virulence determinants include microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecule, extracellular enzymes, cytotoxins, superantigens, and immune evasion proteins, all of which contribute to successful colonization and disease progression .

Among these virulence factors, biofilm formation is considered one of the most important determinants of S. aureus pathogenicity. Biofilms are highly organized bacterial communities embedded within a self-produced extracellular polymeric matrix (EPS). This matrix enhances bacterial adherence to both biotic and abiotic surfaces while protecting the bacteria from host immune defenses and antimicrobial agents .

Consequently, biofilm-associated infections are often characterized by persistent infection, failure in treatment , and increased antimicrobial resistance, Therefore, disrupting biofilm formation has become a key target for developing novel therapeutic strategies.

Probiotics have attracted increasing attention as promising addition to conventional antimicrobial therapy because of their ability to inhibit pathogenic microorganisms, interfere with biofilm formation, and modulate bacterial virulence .

Many of these beneficial effects are mediated by probiotic-derived cell-free supernatants (CFS), which contain a variety of bioactive compounds, including organic acids, bacteriocins, hydrogen peroxide, biosurfactants, and other antimicrobial metabolites.

Several studies have demonstrated that probiotic-derived CFS can inhibit Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation and suppress the expression of virulence-associated genes, thereby reducing bacterial pathogenicity .

Surgical site infections (SSIs) represent a major healthcare burden in Egyptian hospitals, with reported prevalence rates ranging from 9% to 26% among postoperative patients .

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

100

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

wound swabs and pus specimens will be collected under complete aseptic conditions from patients with suspected SSIs using sterile swabs. The samples will be transferred immediately to the microbiology laboratory to be processed

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients of any age diagnosed with postoperative SSIs.
  • Clinical isolates from SSIs identified as MRSA.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any microorganism isolated from SSIs other than MRSA.
  • Prior administration of postoperative antibiotics

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
The effect of Probiotic cell-free supernatant (CFS) on the expression of the biofilm-associated genes icaA and fnbA in clinical MRSA isolates..
Time Frame: December 2026- to March 2027
December 2026- to March 2027
The number of clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates from SSIs and determine their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns to identify methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Time Frame: September 2026 to January 2027
September 2026 to January 2027
The effect of Probiotic cell-free supernatant (CFS) on the expression of the antibiotic resistance-associated genes mecA and femA in clinical MRSA isolates
Time Frame: March 2027 to June 2027
March 2027 to June 2027

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sohag University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

September 20, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 2, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 25, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 28, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 28, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Soh-Med-26-8-19MS

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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