Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii (named in honor of the American bacteriologists Paul and Linda Baumann) is a Gram-negative, multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogen that causes nosocomial infections, especially in intensive care units (ICUs) and immunocompromised patients with central venous catheters. A. baumannii has developed a broad spectrum of antimicrobial resistance, associated with a higher mortality rate among infected patients compared with other non-baumannii species. In terms of clinical impact, resistant strains are associated with increases in both in-hospital length of stay and mortality. A. baumannii can cause a variety of infections; most involve the respiratory tract, especially ventilator-associated pneumonia, but bacteremia and skin wound infections have also been reported, the latter of which has been prominently observed in the context of war-related trauma. Cases of meningitis associated with A. baumannii have been documented. The most common risk factor for the acquisition of MDR A baumannii is previous antibiotic use, following by mechanical ventilation, length of ICU/hospital stay, severity of illness, and use of medical devices. Current efforts focus on addressing all the antimicrobial resistance mechanisms described in A. baumannii, with the objective of identifying the most promising therapeutic scheme. Bacteriophage- and artilysin-based therapeutic approaches have been described as effective, but further research into their clinical use is required
Highlights
The history of the genus Acinetobacter dates back to the 20th century, when the Dutch microbiologistBeijernick described an organism called Micrococcus calcoaceticus that was isolated from the soil by means of a medium enriched with calcium acetate [1,2].The current genus designation, Acinetobacter, refers to the Greek concept “Akinetos”, which means “not mobile” [2]
A. baumannii isolates carrying the genes encoding aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes ant(3”)-Ia, aac(60 )-Ib, aph(30 )-1a, aac(3)-Ia, and aph(30 )-VI, and 16S ribosomal RNA methylase ArmA were resistant to amikacin, gentamicin, isepamycin spectinomycin, streptomycin, and tobramycin [82]
Clinicians have to take into account all documented risk factors and the experimental synergistic activity of different antimicrobials in order to achieve a more successful treatment for patients with MDR A. baumannii infections
Summary
The history of the genus Acinetobacter dates back to the 20th century, when the Dutch microbiologist. Glucidolytica, Neisseria winogradskyi, Achromobacter anitratus, and Achromobacter mucosus, among others, were analyzed; concluding that all of them belonged to a common genus In this way, the concept of Acinetobacter was introduced, but the subsequent subclassification into different species based on the phenotypic characteristics was not established at this point [4]. Identification limited to the ACB complex can be misleading, as the genospecies in it differ in their biological and pathological characteristics This remark must be taken into account, as A. baumannii (genospecies 2) represents the greatest clinical significance of the complex, while, for example, A. calcoaceticus (genospecies 1) has been considered to be an environmental pathogen rarely implicated as a cause of severe disease [13]. As a consequence to these concerning statistics, the WHO has included carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii in the “critical group” of all bacteria that represent greatest threat to human health, prioritizing research and development efforts for new antimicrobial treatments [39]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
