A Humanized Monoclonal Antibody Potentiates Killing of Diverse Biofilm-Forming Respiratory Tract Pathogens by Antibiotics

New strategies to treat diseases in which biofilms contribute significantly to pathogenesis are needed, as biofilm-resident bacteria are highly recalcitrant to antibiotics due to physical biofilm architecture and a canonically quiescent metabolism, among many additional attributes. We, and others, have shown that when biofilms are dispersed or disrupted, bacteria released from biofilm residence are in a distinct physiologic state that, in part, renders these bacteria highly sensitive to killing by specific antibiotics. We sought to demonstrate the breadth of the ability of a recently humanized monoclonal antibody against an essential biofilm structural element (DNABII protein) to disrupt biofilms formed by respiratory tract pathogens and potentiate antibiotic-mediated killing of bacteria released from biofilm residence. Biofilms formed by six respiratory tract pathogens were significantly disrupted by the humanized monoclonal antibody in a dose- and time-dependent manner, as corroborated by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) imaging. Bacteria newly released from the biofilms of 3 of 6 species were significantly more sensitive than their planktonic counterparts to killing by 2 of 3 antibiotics currently used clinically and were now also equally as sensitive to killing by the 3rd antibiotic. The remaining 3 pathogens were significantly more susceptible to killing by all 3 antibiotics. A humanized monoclonal antibody directed against protective epitopes of a DNABII protein effectively released six diverse respiratory tract pathogens from biofilm residence in a phenotypic state that was now as, or significantly more, sensitive to killing by three antibiotics currently indicated for use clinically. These data support this targeted, combinatorial, species-agnostic therapy to mitigate chronic bacterial diseases.