scholarly journals A LysR-Type Transcriptional Regulator Controls Multiple Phenotypes in Acinetobacter baumannii

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee R. P. Tierney ◽  
Chui Yoke Chin ◽  
David S. Weiss ◽  
Philip N. Rather
Keyword(s):  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Regulatory Gene ◽  
Transcriptional Regulator ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Switching Loss ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Multiple Phenotypes ◽  
Capsule Production ◽  
Conserved Gene ◽  
Reduced Surface

Acinetobacter baumannii is a multidrug-resistant, Gram-negative nosocomial pathogen that exhibits phenotypic heterogeneity resulting in virulent opaque (VIR-O) and avirulent translucent (AV-T) colony variants. Each variant has a distinct gene expression profile resulting in multiple phenotypic differences. Cells interconvert between the VIR-O and AV-T variants at high frequency under laboratory conditions, suggesting that the genetic mechanism underlying the phenotypic switch could be manipulated to attenuate virulence. Therefore, our group has focused on identifying and characterizing genes that regulate this switch, which led to the investigation of ABUW_1132 (1132), a highly conserved gene predicted to encode a LysR-type transcriptional regulator. ABUW_1132 was shown to be a global regulator as the expression of 74 genes was altered ≥ 2-fold in an 1132 deletion mutant. The 1132 deletion also resulted in a 16-fold decrease in VIR-O to AV-T switching, loss of 3-OH-C12-HSL secretion, and reduced surface-associated motility. Further, the deletion of 1132 in the AV-T background caused elevated capsule production, which increased colony opacity and altered the typical avirulent phenotype of translucent cells. These findings distinguish 1132 as a global regulatory gene and advance our understanding of A. baumannii’s opacity-virulence switch.

scholarly journals Emergence of High-Level Colistin Resistance in an Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolate Mediated by Inactivation of the Global Regulator H-NS

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanna Deveson Lucas ◽  
Bethany Crane ◽  
Amy Wright ◽  
Mei-Ling Han ◽  
Jennifer Moffatt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Lipid A ◽  
Transcriptional Regulator ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Missense Mutations ◽  
Colistin Resistance ◽  
Extra Copy ◽  
Sequence Element ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACT Colistin is a crucial last-line drug used for the treatment of life-threatening infections caused by multidrug-resistant strains of the Gram-negative bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii . However, colistin-resistant A. baumannii isolates can still be isolated following failed colistin therapy. Resistance is most often mediated by the addition of phosphoethanolamine (pEtN) to lipid A by PmrC, following missense mutations in the pmrCAB operon encoding PmrC and the two-component signal transduction system PmrA/PmrB. We recovered a pair of A. baumannii isolates from a single patient before (6009-1) and after (6009-2) failed colistin treatment. These strains displayed low and very high levels of colistin resistance (MICs, 8 to 16 μg/ml and 128 μg/ml), respectively. To understand how increased colistin resistance arose, we sequenced the genome of each isolate, which revealed that 6009-2 had an extra copy of the insertion sequence element IS Aba125 within a gene encoding an H-NS family transcriptional regulator. To confirm the role of H-NS in colistin resistance, we generated an hns deletion mutant in 6009-1 and showed that colistin resistance increased upon the deletion of hns . We also provided 6009-2 with an intact copy of hns and showed that the strain was no longer resistant to high concentrations of colistin. Transcriptomic analysis of the clinical isolates identified more than 150 genes as being differentially expressed in the colistin-resistant hns mutant 6009-2. Importantly, the expression of eptA , encoding a second lipid A-specific pEtN transferase but not pmrC , was increased in the hns mutant. This is the first time an H-NS family transcriptional regulator has been associated with a pEtN transferase and colistin resistance.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Lysophosphatidylcholine as Direct Treatment in Combination with Colistin against Acinetobacter baumannii in Murine Severe Infections Models

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
Andrea Miró-Canturri ◽  
Rafael Ayerbe-Algaba ◽  
Manuel Enrique Jiménez-Mejías ◽  
Jerónimo Pachón ◽  
Younes Smani
Keyword(s):  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Antimicrobial Treatment ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Monotherapy Group ◽  
Bacterial Concentration ◽  
Sepsis Model ◽  
Severe Infections ◽  
Stimulation Of

The stimulation of the immune response to prevent the progression of an infection may be an adjuvant to antimicrobial treatment. Here, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) treatment in combination with colistin in murine experimental models of severe infections by Acinetobacter baumannii. We used the A. baumannii Ab9 strain, susceptible to colistin and most of the antibiotics used in clinical settings, and the A. baumannii Ab186 strain, susceptible to colistin but presenting a multidrug-resistant (MDR) pattern. The therapeutic efficacies of one and two LPC doses (25 mg/kg/d) and colistin (20 mg/kg/8 h), alone or in combination, were assessed against Ab9 and Ab186 in murine peritoneal sepsis and pneumonia models. One and two LPC doses combined with colistin and colistin monotherapy enhanced Ab9 and Ab186 clearance from spleen, lungs and blood and reduced mice mortality compared with those of the non-treated mice group in both experimental models. Moreover, one and two LPC doses reduced the bacterial concentration in tissues and blood in both models and increased mice survival in the peritoneal sepsis model for both strains compared with those of the colistin monotherapy group. LPC used as an adjuvant of colistin treatment may be helpful to reduce the severity and the resolution of the MDR A. baumannii infection.

scholarly journals Radiation-Inactivated Acinetobacter baumannii Vaccine Candidates

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Dollery ◽  
Daniel V. Zurawski ◽  
Elena K. Gaidamakova ◽  
Vera Y. Matrosova ◽  
John K. Tobin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Wound Infections ◽  
Protein Profiles ◽  
Vaccine Candidates ◽  
Rich Media ◽  
Life Threatening

Acinetobacter baumannii is a bacterial pathogen that is often multidrug-resistant (MDR) and causes a range of life-threatening illnesses, including pneumonia, septicemia, and wound infections. Some antibiotic treatments can reduce mortality if dosed early enough before an infection progresses, but there are few other treatment options when it comes to MDR-infection. Although several prophylactic strategies have been assessed, no vaccine candidates have advanced to clinical trials or have been approved. Herein, we rapidly produced protective whole-cell immunogens from planktonic and biofilm-like cultures of A. baumannii, strain AB5075 grown using a variety of methods. After selecting a panel of five cultures based on distinct protein profiles, replicative activity was extinguished by exposure to 10 kGy gamma radiation in the presence of a Deinococcus antioxidant complex composed of manganous (Mn2+) ions, a decapeptide, and orthophosphate. Mn2+ antioxidants prevent hydroxylation and carbonylation of irradiated proteins, but do not protect nucleic acids, yielding replication-deficient immunogenic A. baumannii vaccine candidates. Mice were immunized and boosted twice with 1.0 × 107 irradiated bacterial cells and then challenged intranasally with AB5075 using two mouse models. Planktonic cultures grown for 16 h in rich media and biofilm cultures grown in static cultures underneath minimal (M9) media stimulated immunity that led to 80–100% protection.

Antibacterial properties of phenothiazine derivatives against multidrug‐resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Aguilar‐Vega ◽  
Luis Esaú López‐Jácome ◽  
Bernardo Franco ◽  
Sergio Muñoz‐Carranza ◽  
Naurú Vargas‐Maya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Antibacterial Properties ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Phenothiazine Derivatives

scholarly journals 1293. Sulbactam-durlobactam is active against recent, multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates from the Middle East

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S662-S662
Author(s):  
Alita Miller ◽  
Sarah McLeod ◽  
Samir Moussa ◽  
Meredith Hackel
Keyword(s):  
Antibacterial Activity ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Blood Stream ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Spectrum Activity

Abstract Background The incidence of infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab) is increasing at an alarming rate in certain regions of the world, including the Middle East. Sulbactam (SUL) has intrinsic antibacterial activity against Ab; however, the prevalence of β-lactamases in Ab has limited its therapeutic utility. Durlobactam (DUR, formerly ETX2514) is a diazabicyclooctenone β-lactamase inhibitor with broad-spectrum activity against Ambler class A, C and D β-lactamases that restores SUL activity in vitro against MDR Ab. SUL-DUR is an antibiotic designed to treat serious infections caused by Acinetobacter, including multidrug-resistant strains, that is currently in Phase 3 clinical development. In global surveillance studies of >3600 isolates from 2012-2017, the MIC90 of SUL-DUR was 2 mg/L. Although surveillance systems to monitor MDR infections in the Middle East are currently being established, quantitative, prevalence-based data are not yet available. Therefore, the potency of SUL-DUR was determined against 190 recent, diverse Ab clinical isolates from this region. Methods 190 Ab isolates were collected between 2016 - 2018 from medical centers located in Israel (N = 47), Jordan (N = 36), Qatar (N = 13), Kuwait (N = 42), Lebanon (N = 8), Saudi Arabia (N = 24) and United Arab Emirates (N = 20). Seventy-five percent and 20.5% of these isolates were from respiratory and blood stream infections, respectively. Susceptibility to SUL-DUR and comparator agents was performed according to CLSI guidelines, and data analysis was performed using CLSI and EUCAST breakpoint criteria where available. Results This collection of isolates was 86% carbapenem-resistant and 90% sulbactam-resistant (based on a breakpoint of 4 mg/L). The addition of SUL-DUR (fixed at 4 mg/L) decreased the sulbactam MIC90 from 64 mg/L to 4 mg/L. Only 3 isolates (1.6%) had SUL-DUR MIC values of > 4 mg/L. This potency was consistent across countries, sources of infection and subsets of resistance phenotypes. Conclusion SUL-DUR demonstrated potent antibacterial activity against recent clinical isolates of Ab from the Middle East, including MDR isolates. These data support the global development of SUL-DUR for the treatment of MDR Ab infections. Disclosures Alita Miller, PhD, Entasis Therapeutics (Employee) Sarah McLeod, PhD, Entasis Therapeutics (Employee) Samir Moussa, PhD, Entasis Therapeutics (Employee)

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