Acinetobacter baumannii: a virulent pathogen in Device-associated
Infections its adhesion associated virulence, biofilm formation, and
antibiotic resistance
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is a crucial pathogen of nosocomial infection
and an alarming threat to the medical community due to the high rate of
mortality worldwide. Because of its highly contagious, biofilm-forming
nature, virulence characteristics, and multi-drug resistance (MDR), it
has been recognized as a red-alert pathogen on a global scale. The main
components which strengthen the pathogenicity of A. baumannii are
complex gram-negative cell wall structure and specialized virulence
factors which facilitate its adhesion and infection spread in the host
cells. Higher incidents of infections have been reported in hospitalized
patients undergoing treatment with Intensive Care Unit aids and medical
devices majorly causing Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection
(CAUTI) and Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). This makes the
biofilm-forming multi-drug resistant A. baumannii, the most hazardous
pathogen in Device Associated Hospital Acquired Infections (DA-HAI).
Several investigations unveiled that the outer membrane proteins (OMP)
and other adhesion-associated virulence have an anchoring role in
biofilm formation which majorly contributes to DA-HAI. Moreover, during
the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)
pandemic, the infection spread was further aggravated in DA-HAI. Hence,
it is important to search for novel therapeutic approaches that will
improve the treatment strategy and prevent device-associated infection.
This review explores the relationship between adhesion-associated
virulence and biofilm formation further it highlights the correlation
between antibacterial resistance, and biofilm characterization to
elucidate a novel therapeutic approach against this threatful pathogen.