Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a problematic strain of bacteria associated with serious bacterial infections in humans. Often, MRSA is clinically treated with vancomycin due to the resistance mechanisms MRSA possesses to several other antibiotics. However, MRSA has been found to be unresponsive to vancomycin treatments when a biofilm has already been formed. Therefore, additional options are needed to improve the outcome of infections caused by biofilm-forming MRSA strains. Zingerone is a reagent that has been shown to prevent biofilm formation in numerous species of bacteria. This study aimed to test if zingerone could increase the efficacy of vancomycin in its treatment of mature biofilms grown on coverslips for 48-hours. Measuring absorbance using a colorimetric assay for cellular metabolism, this study found that the combination of zingerone and vancomycin eradicated MRSA biofilms in under a 48-hour time frame, whereas zingerone or vancomycin alone did not. These results have shown that zingerone could have clinical applications as a supplement to be used with vancomycin or other antibiotics in the treatment of biofilm-associated infections.