Acinetobacter baumannii Biofilm Formation and Its Role in Disease Pathogenesis: A Review

Abstract

Acinetobacter species, particularly Acinetobacter baumannii , is the first pathogen on the critical priority list of pathogens for novel antibiotics to become a “red-alert” human pathogen. Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging global antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria that most typically causes biofilm-associated infections such as ventilator-associated pneumonia and catheter-related infection, both of which are resistant to antibiotic therapy. A. baumannii’s capacity to develop antibiotic resistance mechanisms allows the organism to thrive in hospital settings, facilitating the global spread of multidrug-resistant strains. Although Acinetobacter infections are quickly expanding throughout hospital environments around the world, the highest concentration of infections occurs in intensive care units (ICUs). Biofilms are populations of bacteria on biotic or abiotic surfaces that are encased in the extracellular matrix and play a crucial role in pathogenesis, making treatment options more difficult. Even though a variety of biological and environmental elements are involved in the production of A. baumannii biofilms, glucose is the most important component. Biofilm-mediated A. baumannii infections are the most common type of A. baumannii infection associated with medical equipment, and they are extremely difficult to treat. As a result, health care workers (HCWs) should focus on infection prevention and safety actions to avoid A. baumannii biofilm-related infections caused by medical devices, and they should be very selective when using treatments in combination with anti-biofilms. Therefore, this review discusses biofilm formation in A. baumannii , its role in disease pathogenesis, and its antimicrobial resistance mechanism.

Surface Functionalization of Ureteral Stents-Based Polyurethane: Engineering Antibacterial Coatings

“…However, it should be noted that bacterial attachment can be affected by various parameters such as surface roughness, hydrophobicity, environmental factors, and/or surface charge, etc. [ 69 ].…”

Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Autographiviridae Phage and Its Combined Effect with Tigecycline in Controlling Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii-Associated Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

“…The stability of phage vABWU2101 under different temperatures (−80, −20, 4, 25, 37, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 • C) and pH values (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14) was tested according to a previous report [34]. In brief, the phage suspension was diluted to a final concentration of 10 8 PFU/mL.…”

“…MDR A. baumannii can adhere and persist on abiotic and biotic surfaces as biofilms, which contributes to the increase in bacterial survival, spread and long-term persistence [9]. Moreover, biofilms of MDR A. baumannii are associated with the tolerance to germ-killing environments and disinfectants, resulting in the difficulty of their management and the enhancement of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.…”

Antimicrobial Peptides as an Alternative for the Eradication of Bacterial Biofilms of Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria

“…Thus, the microorganisms remaining after this insufficient treatment proliferate despite the use of antibiotics [ 2 ]. The recurrence of cases such as this leads to the resistance of several bacteria to different drugs, allowing their massive proliferation, which, compounded with the ability to form biofilm, makes them more resistant and more difficult to fight [ 3 ]. Bacterial resistance can be innate or acquired since many bacteria have resistance genes that are expressed only when they feel threatened; and they can easily transfer these genes when found in microecosystems to other species for community survival [ 4 ].…”

“…To form biofilms, these microorganisms adhere to surfaces, which can be biotic (composed of living beings or parts of them) or abiotic (composed of non-living substances). The biofilms cover the surfaces with an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) [ 3 ]. This substance has conglomerates of proteins, polysaccharides, and exogenous DNA [ 5 ].…”