ANTIMICROBIAL TOLERANCE OF MYCOBACTERIUM ABSCESSUS IN DUAL SPECIES BIOFILM FORMED WITH PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA

Abstract

Mycobacterium abscessus (MABSC) can cause chronic lung disease in patients with immunocompromised status or structural lung diseases. M. abscessus infection was found with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection or colonization. Moreover, both pathogens have the ability to produce biofilms, which increase the severity of infection. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of the M. abscessus and P. aeruginosa dual-species biofilm on the antimicrobial tolerance of M. abscessus. Co-culture and viability plate count methods were used to evaluate the effect of biofilm. As a result of this study, we found that at early phase of biofilm formation, M. abscessus cannot tolerate to antibiotics when co-culture with P. aeruginosa. However, at late phase, M. abscessus in dual-species biofilm can tolerate to antibiotics even high concentration.