Pathogenicity and virulence of Acinetobacter baumannii : Factors contributing to the fitness in healthcare settings and the infected host.
Massimiliano LucidiDaniela VisaggioAntonella MigliaccioGiulia CapecchiPaolo ViscaFrancesco ImperiRaffaele ZarrilliPublished in: Virulence (2023)
Acinetobacter baumannii is a common cause of healthcare-associated infections and hospital outbreaks, particularly in intensive care units. Much of the success of A. baumannii relies on its genomic plasticity, which allows rapid adaptation to adversity and stress. The capacity to acquire novel antibiotic resistance determinants and the tolerance to stresses encountered in the hospital environment promote A. baumannii spread among patients and long-term contamination of the healthcare setting. This review explores virulence factors and physiological traits contributing to A. baumannii infection and adaptation to the hospital environment. Several cell-associated and secreted virulence factors involved in A. baumannii biofilm formation, cell adhesion, invasion, and persistence in the host, as well as resistance to xeric stress imposed by the healthcare settings, are illustrated to give reasons for the success of A. baumannii as a hospital pathogen.
Keyphrases
- healthcare
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- biofilm formation
- acinetobacter baumannii
- staphylococcus aureus
- cystic fibrosis
- multidrug resistant
- candida albicans
- escherichia coli
- drug resistant
- intensive care unit
- acute care
- cell adhesion
- adverse drug
- antimicrobial resistance
- physical activity
- stem cells
- body composition
- health information
- climate change
- single cell
- dna methylation
- gene expression
- early life
- genome wide
- stress induced
- heavy metals
- cell migration
- sensitive detection
- drug induced
- human health