AVR/I/SSAPDB: a comprehensive & specialised knowledgebase of antimicrobial peptides to combat VRSA, VISA, and VSSA

Abstract

The rise of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, especially strains of Staphylococcus aureus like Vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA), Vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA), and Vancomycin-susceptible S. aureus (VSSA), poses a severe threat to global health. This situation underscores the urgent need for novel antimicrobial agents to combat these resistant strains effectively. Here, we are introducing the Anti-Vancomycin-Resistant/Intermediate/Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Peptide Database (AVR/I/SSAPDB), a manually curated comprehensive and specialised knowledgebase dedicated to antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that target VRSA, VISA, and VSSA with clinical and non-clinical significance. Our database sources data from PubMed, cataloging 491 experimentally validated AMPs with detailed annotations on peptides, activity, and cross-references to external databases like PubMed, UniProt, PDB, and DrugBank. AVR/I/SSAPDB offers a user-friendly interface with simple to advanced and list-based search capabilities, enabling researchers to explore AMPs against VRSA, VISA, and VSSA. We are hoping that this resource will be helpful to the scientific community in developing targeted peptide-based therapeutics, providing a crucial tool for combating VRSA, VISA, and VSSA, and addressing a major public health concern. AVR/I/SSAPDB is freely accessible via any web-browser at URL: https://bblserver.org.in/avrissa/ .

Keywords: AVR/I/SSAPDB; Antimicrobial peptides; MDR bacteria; Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus; Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Vancomycin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus.