<p>Association Between Biofilm Formation, Structure, and the Expression Levels of Genes Related to biofilm formation and Biofilm-Specific Resistance of <em>Acinetobacter baumannii</em> Strains Isolated from Burn Infection in Ahvaz, Iran</p>

Abstract

BackgroundThe ability of biofilm formation is an effective way for Acinetobacter baumannii survival from stressed conditions. This present study was aimed to evaluate the association between biofilm formation, structure, the expression levels of genes related to biofilm formation and biofilm-specific resistance of A. baumannii strains isolated from burn infections in Ahvaz, Iran.MethodsIn this study, we assessed the antibiotic susceptibilities, ERIC-PCR typing, capacity of biofilm formation and biofilm structure of 64 A. baumannii isolates collected from burn infections. The distribution and the expression levels of genes involved in the biofilm formation including bap, ompA, abaI, pgaA and csuE were assessed by PCR and real-time PCR, respectively.ResultsWe classified A. baumannii isolates in 14 clonal types of ERIC-PCR. Most A. baumannii isolates were resistant to all antibiotics tested except to tigecycline and colistin and had the biofilm formation capability but with different capacities. There was a significant inverse relationship between resistance to antibiotic agents and biofilm formation. The biofilm matrix of 50 strains consisted of polysaccharides together with DNA or proteins. The genes involved in the biofilm formation were detected in both biofilm-forming and non-biofilm forming; however, the expression levels of these genes were higher in biofilm producers compared with non-producers.ConclusionThe biofilm cells exhibited dramatically decreased susceptibility to antibiotic agents; hence, they have great significance for public health. Therefore, the determination of antibiotic susceptibilities in biofilm and planktonic mode, molecular typing, and capacity of biofilm formation in clinical setting is essential.

Association between Biofilm-Production and Antibiotic Resistance in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC): An In Vitro Study

“…Catheter-associated UTIs (CA-UTIs) are the most nosocomial infections worldwide, leading to high costs for the healthcare-providers and decreased quality of life for the affected patients [ 9 , 39 ]. The production of biofilms is ubiquitous in the environment and has been described in 65% of human infections (affecting patients from all backgrounds and in all age groups); therefore, they present an important unresolved issue for both clinicians and researchers [ 40 ]. The characteristic of producing EPS matrix also strongly correlates to the proclivity of these bacteria to become nosocomial pathogens ( K. pneumoniae , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Acinetobacter spp., Staphylococcus aureus among others), surviving in the harsh physical environments of hospitals [ 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ].…”

Biofilm formation in Acinetobacter baumannii was inhibited by PAβN while it had no association with antibiotic resistance

“…Other reports used OD 570 = 1 to categorize weak or strong/moderate biofilm formation (Beganovic, Luther, Daffinee, & LaPlante, 2019). Another report used the same standard as us (Amin et al, 2019;Zhang et al, 2016). The different standards make it very difficult to compare the studies.…”

Efflux pump inhibitory activity of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles against multidrug‐resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates

“…Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the opportunistic pathogens playing a main role in the hospital‐acquired infections, especially in surgical, burn, and intensive care units [1]. A. baumannii has a great ability to obtain antibiotic resistance determinants, which eventually leads to the emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR) [2].…”