Interspecies Biofilm Dynamics Among Staphylococci: Inflammatory Contributions to Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Overall, staphylococcal interactions were highly strain specific, with S. aureus influencing the biofilm-forming capacity and increasing the tolerance to amoxicillin of both S. epidermidis and S. lugdunensis. S. epidermidis but not S. lugdunensis could mitigate S. aureus induced epithelial cytotoxicity. These findings support the complex nature of interactions among staphylococci with S. aureus and potentially S. lugdunensis having a pathogenic role and S. epidermidis a protective role within polymicrobial biofilms. Our findings have implications for the inflammatory potential and response to therapy of mixed biofilms.