Acinetobacter baumannii: An Ancient Commensal with Weapons of a Pathogen

Meysam Sarshar; Payam Behzadi; Daniela Scribano; Anna Teresa Palamara; Cecilia Ambrosi

doi:10.3390/pathogens10040387

journal article Open Access Mar 24, 2021

Acinetobacter baumannii: An Ancient Commensal with Weapons of a Pathogen

Meysam Sarshar

Pathogens Vol. 10 No. 4 pp. 387 · MDPI AG

View at Publisher Save 10.3390/pathogens10040387

Abstract

Acinetobacter baumannii is regarded as a life-threatening pathogen associated with community-acquired and nosocomial infections, mainly pneumonia. The rise in the number of A. baumannii antibiotic-resistant strains reduces effective therapies and increases mortality. Bacterial comparative genomic studies have unraveled the innate and acquired virulence factors of A. baumannii. These virulence factors are involved in antibiotic resistance, environmental persistence, host-pathogen interactions, and immune evasion. Studies on host–pathogen interactions revealed that A. baumannii evolved different mechanisms to adhere to in order to invade host respiratory cells as well as evade the host immune system. In this review, we discuss current data on A. baumannii genetic features and virulence factors. An emphasis is given to the players in host–pathogen interaction in the respiratory tract. In addition, we report recent investigations into host defense systems using in vitro and in vivo models, providing new insights into the innate immune response to A. baumannii infections. Increasing our knowledge of A. baumannii pathogenesis may help the development of novel therapeutic strategies based on anti-adhesive, anti-virulence, and anti-cell to cell signaling pathways drugs.

Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References

180

[1]

Henriksen "Moraxella, Acinetobacter, and the Mimeae" Bacteriol. Rev. (1973) 10.1128/br.37.4.522-561.1973

[2]

Baumann "A study of the Moraxella group. II. Oxidative-negative species (genus Acinetobacter)" J. Bacteriol. (1968) 10.1128/jb.95.5.1520-1541.1968

[3]

Elhosseiny "Acinetobacter: An emerging pathogen with a versatile secretome" Emerg. Microbes Infect. (2018) 10.1038/s41426-018-0030-4

[4]

"Antibiotic-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Increasing Success Remains a Challenge as a Nosocomial Pathogen" J. Pathog. (2016)

[5]

Visca "Acinetobacter infection–an emerging threat to human health" IUBMB Life (2011) 10.1002/iub.534

[6]

Wong "Clinical and Pathophysiological Overview of Acinetobacter Infections: A Century of Challenges" Clin. Microbiol. Rev. (2017) 10.1128/cmr.00058-16

[7]

Lee "Biology of Acinetobacter baumannii: Pathogenesis, antibiotic resistance mechanisms, and prospective treatment options" Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. (2017) 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00055

[8]

Li "Emerging microtechnologies and automated systems for rapid bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing" SLAS Technol. Transl. Life Sci. Innov. (2017)

[9]

Vijayakumar "Accurate identification of clinically important Acinetobacter spp.: An update" Future Sci. OA (2019) 10.2144/fsoa-2018-0127

[10]

Cerqueira "Insights into Acinetobacter baumannii pathogenicity" IUBMB Life (2011) 10.1002/iub.533

[11]

Morris "The mechanisms of disease caused by Acinetobacter baumannii" Front. Microbiol. (2019) 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01601

[12]

Harding "Pathogenic Acinetobacter species have a functional type I secretion system and contact-dependent inhibition systems" J. Biol. Chem. (2017) 10.1074/jbc.m117.781575

[13]

Geisinger "Acinetobacter baumannii: Envelope determinants that control drug resistance, virulence, and surface variability" Annu. Rev. Microbiol. (2019) 10.1146/annurev-micro-020518-115714

[14]

Gallagher "Developing new therapeutic approaches for treating infections caused by multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: Acinetobacter baumannii therapeutics" J. Infect. (2020) 10.1016/j.jinf.2020.10.016

[15]

Hua "Population Biology and Epidemiological Studies of Acinetobacter baumannii in the Era of Whole Genome Sequencing: Is the Oxford Scheme Still Appropriate?" Front. Microbiol. (2020) 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00775

[16]

Eze "Acinetobacter baumannii biofilms: Effects of physicochemical factors, virulence, antibiotic resistance determinants, gene regulation, and future antimicrobial treatments" Infect. Drug Resist. (2018) 10.2147/idr.s169894

[17]

"The immune response against Acinetobacter baumannii, an emerging pathogen in nosocomial infections" Front. Immunol. (2017) 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00441

[18]

Harding "Uncovering the mechanisms of Acinetobacter baumannii virulence" Nat. Rev. Microbiol. (2018) 10.1038/nrmicro.2017.148

[19]

Pires "Innate Immune Responses to Acinetobacter baumannii in the Airway" J. Interferon Cytokine Res. Off. J. Int. Soc. Interferon Cytokine Res. (2019) 10.1089/jir.2019.0008

[20]

Bartual "Development of a multilocus sequence typing scheme for characterization of clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii" J. Clin. Microbiol. (2005) 10.1128/jcm.43.9.4382-4390.2005

[21]

Diancourt, L., Passet, V., Nemec, A., Dijkshoorn, L., and Brisse, S. (2010). The population structure of Acinetobacter baumannii: Expanding multiresistant clones from an ancestral susceptible genetic pool. PLoS ONE, 5. 10.1371/journal.pone.0010034

[22]

Acinetobacter baumannii : Emergence of a Successful Pathogen

Anton Y. Peleg, Harald Seifert, David L. Paterson

Clinical Microbiology Reviews 2008 10.1128/cmr.00058-07

[23]

Imperi "The genomics of Acinetobacter baumannii: Insights into genome plasticity, antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity" IUBMB Life (2011) 10.1002/iub.531

[24]

Antunes "Acinetobacter baumannii: Evolution of a global pathogen" Pathog. Dis. (2014) 10.1111/2049-632x.12125

[25]

Müller, C., Stefanik, D., Wille, J., Hackel, M., Higgins, P.G., and Seifert, H. (2019, January 13–16). Molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates and identification of the novel international clone IC9: Results from a worldwide surveillance study (2012–2016). Proceedings of the Abstract Book of the 29th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, P0947, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

[26]

"Inaccurate Multilocus Sequence Typing of Acinetobacter baumannii" Emerg. Infect. Dis. (2019) 10.3201/eid2501.180374

[27]

Galac, M.R., Snesrud, E., Lebreton, F., Stam, J., Julius, M., Ong, A.C., Maybank, R., Jones, A.R., Kwak, Y.I., and Hinkle, K. (2020). A Diverse Panel of Clinical Acinetobacter baumannii for Research and Development. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 64. 10.1128/aac.00840-20

[28]

Holt "Five decades of genome evolution in the globally distributed, extensively antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii global clone 1" Microb. Genom. (2016)

[29]

Touchon "The genomic diversification of the whole Acinetobacter genus: Origins, mechanisms, and consequences" Genome Biol. Evol. (2014) 10.1093/gbe/evu225

[30]

Mangas "Pangenome of Acinetobacter baumannii uncovers two groups of genomes, one of them with genes involved in CRISPR/Cas defence systems associated with the absence of plasmids and exclusive genes for biofilm formation" Microb. Genom. (2019)

[31]

Ghafourian "The mazEF toxin-antitoxin system as a novel antibacterial target in Acinetobacter baumannii" Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz (2014) 10.1590/0074-0276130601

[32]

Lee, K.-Y., and Lee, B.-J. (2016). Structure, biology, and therapeutic application of toxin–antitoxin systems in pathogenic bacteria. Toxins, 8. 10.3390/toxins8100305

[33]

"Toxin-antitoxins and bacterial virulence" FEMS Microbiol. Rev. (2016) 10.1093/femsre/fuw022

[34]

Tyumentseva, M., Mikhaylova, Y., Prelovskaya, A., Tyumentsev, A., Petrova, L., Fomina, V., Zamyatin, M., Shelenkov, A., and Akimkin, V. (2021). Genomic and Phenotypic Analysis of Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolates Carrying Different Types of CRISPR/Cas Systems. Pathogens, 10. 10.3390/pathogens10020205

[35]

Yakkala, H., Samantarrai, D., Gribskov, M., and Siddavattam, D. (2019). Comparative genome analysis reveals niche-specific genome expansion in Acinetobacter baumannii strains. PLoS ONE, 14. 10.1371/journal.pone.0218204

[36]

De Oliveira, D.M.P., Forde, B.M., Kidd, T.J., Harris, P.N.A., Schembri, M.A., Beatson, S.A., Paterson, D.L., and Walker, M.J. (2020). Antimicrobial Resistance in ESKAPE Pathogens. Clin. Microbiol. Rev., 33. 10.1128/cmr.00181-19

[37]

Karakonstantis "A systematic review of implications, mechanisms, and stability of in vivo emergent resistance to colistin and tigecycline in Acinetobacter baumannii" J. Chemother. (2021) 10.1080/1120009x.2020.1794393

[38]

Hamidian "Emergence, molecular mechanisms and global spread of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii" Microb. Genom. (2019)

[39]

Scribano, D., Marzano, V., Levi Mortera, S., Sarshar, M., Vernocchi, P., Zagaglia, C., Putignani, L., Palamara, A.T., and Ambrosi, C. (2019). Insights into the Periplasmic Proteins of Acinetobacter baumannii AB5075 and the Impact of Imipenem Exposure: A Proteomic Approach. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 20. 10.3390/ijms20143451

[40]

Ambrosi "Acinetobacter baumannii Virulence Traits: A Comparative Study of a Novel Sequence Type with Other Italian Endemic International Clones" Front. Microbiol. (2017) 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01977

[41]

Uppalapati "The Outer Membrane Proteins OmpA, CarO, and OprD of Acinetobacter baumannii Confer a Two-Pronged Defense in Facilitating Its Success as a Potent Human Pathogen" Front. Microbiol. (2020) 10.3389/fmicb.2020.589234

[42]

Li "Tug of war between Acinetobacter baumannii and host immune responses" Pathog. Dis. (2018) 10.1093/femspd/ftz004

[43]

Singh "Diversity and function of capsular polysaccharide in Acinetobacter baumannii" Front. Microbiol. (2019) 10.3389/fmicb.2018.03301

[44]

Ayoub Moubareck, C., and Hammoudi Halat, D. (2020). Insights into Acinetobacter baumannii: A Review of Microbiological, Virulence, and Resistance Traits in a Threatening Nosocomial Pathogen. Antibiotics, 9. 10.3390/antibiotics9030119

[45]

Kenyon, J.J., Nigro, S.J., and Hall, R.M. (2014). Variation in the OC locus of Acinetobacter baumannii genomes predicts extensive structural diversity in the lipooligosaccharide. PLoS ONE, 9. 10.1371/journal.pone.0107833

[46]

Attachment to and biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces by Acinetobacter baumannii: involvement of a novel chaperone-usher pili assembly system

Andrew P. Tomaras, Caleb W. Dorsey, Richard E. Edelmann et al.

Microbiology 2003 10.1099/mic.0.26541-0

[47]

Loehfelm "Identification and characterization of an Acinetobacter baumannii biofilm-associated protein" J. Bacteriol. (2008) 10.1128/jb.01416-07

[48]

Choi "The pgaABCD locus of Acinetobacter baumannii encodes the production of poly-beta-1-6-N-acetylglucosamine, which is critical for biofilm formation" J. Bacteriol. (2009) 10.1128/jb.00647-09

[49]

Aranda "Acinetobacter baumannii RecA protein in repair of DNA damage, antimicrobial resistance, general stress response, and virulence" J. Bacteriol. (2011) 10.1128/jb.00389-11

[50]

Monem, S., Furmanek-Blaszk, B., Łupkowska, A., Kuczyńska-Wiśnik, D., Stojowska-Swędrzyńska, K., and Laskowska, E. (2020). Mechanisms Protecting Acinetobacter baumannii against Multiple Stresses Triggered by the Host Immune Response, Antibiotics and Outside-Host Environment. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 21. 10.3390/ijms21155498

Showing 50 of 180 references

Cited By

168

Tackling antibiotic resistance in ESKAPE pathogens through the lens of bacterial small RNAs

Xiaorui Song, Kefeng Cui · 2026

Microbial Pathogenesis

Signaling in Acinetobacter baumannii : Quorum sensing and nucleotide second messengers

Binbin Cui, Ganjin Peng · 2025

Computational and Structural Biotec...

The periplasmic protein HslJ is the first-line of defense against oxidative stress in Acinetobacter baumannii

Daniela Scribano, Martina Pasqua · 2025

Biological Research

RETRACTED: Verapamil increases susceptibility of colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii to colistin

Sichen Liu, Huijing Zhou · 2024

International Journal of Antimicrob...

Epidemiological and genetic characteristics of clinical carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains collected countrywide from hospital intensive care units (ICUs) in China

Congcong Liu, Kaichao Chen · 2022

Emerging Microbes & Infections

Antimicrobial Random Peptide Mixtures Eradicate Acinetobacter baumannii Biofilms and Inhibit Mouse Models of Infection

Hannah E. Caraway, Jonathan Z. Lau · 2022

Antibiotics

Metrics

168

Citations

180

References

Details

Published: Mar 24, 2021
Vol/Issue: 10(4)
Pages: 387
License: View

Authors

M

Meysam Sarshar

Research Laboratories, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy

P

Payam Behzadi

Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Sciences, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran 37541-374, Iran

D

Daniela Scribano

Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; Dani Di Giò Foundation-Onlus, 00193 Rome, Italy

A

Anna Teresa Palamara

Laboratory affiliated to Institute Pasteur Italia- Cenci Bolognetti Foundation, Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, 00166 Rome, Italy

C

Cecilia Ambrosi

IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, 00166 Rome, Italy; Department of Human Sciences and Promotion of the Quality of Life, San Raffaele Open University, 00166 Rome, Italy

Funding

Ministero della Salute Award: SG-2018-12365432

Dani Di Giò Foundation-Onlus Award: 0000

Cite This Article

Meysam Sarshar, Payam Behzadi, Daniela Scribano, et al. (2021). Acinetobacter baumannii: An Ancient Commensal with Weapons of a Pathogen. Pathogens, 10(4), 387. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10040387

Acinetobacter baumannii: An Ancient Commensal with Weapons of a Pathogen

You May Also Like