Abstract
Strains of Acinetobacter baumannii are commensal and opportunistic pathogens that have emerged as problematic hospital pathogens due to its biofilm formation ability and multiple antibiotic resistances. The biofilm-associated pathogens usually exhibit dramatically decreased susceptibility to antibiotics. This study was aimed to investigate the correlation of biofilm-forming ability, antibiotic resistance and biofilm-related genes of 154 A. baumannii isolates which were collected from a teaching hospital in Taiwan. Biofilm-forming ability of the isolates was evaluated by crystal violet staining and observed by scanning electron microscopy. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration; the biofilm-related genes were screened by polymerase chain reaction. Results showed that among the 154 tested isolates, 15.6% of the clinical isolates were weak biofilm producers, while 32.5% and 45.4% of them possessed moderate and strong biofilm formation ability, respectively. The experimental results revealed that the multiple drug resistant isolates usually provided a higher biofilm formation. The prevalence of biofilm related genes including bap, blaPER-1, csuE and ompA among the isolated strains was 79.2%, 38.3%, 91.6%, and 68.8%, respectively. The results indicated that the antibiotic resistance, the formation of biofilm and the related genes were significantly correlated. The results of this study can effectively help to understand the antibiotic resistant mechanism and provides the valuable information to the screening, identification, diagnosis, treatment and control of clinical antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
Highlights
Acinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen that is responsible for a wide range of human infections [1,2]
A phenotype profile was compared with biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance, and we observed that antibiotic resistance was highly associated with the biofilm formation capacities
That might be due to a constitute stress such as antibiotics that will enhance for induced gene regulation and offer fitness advantages for resistant strains, resulting in biofilm formation [21]
Summary
Acinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen that is responsible for a wide range of human infections [1,2]. The rapid development of multiple antibiotic resistance of A. baumannii has caused a serious problem for public health. Biofilms are assemblages of microorganisms, encased in a matrix, that function as a cooperative consortium to provide a protected mode for microorganisms and enhance resistance to various antibiotics [5]. Biofilm formation is a complex process employing many factors that include the aggregation substance, adhesion of collagen, expression of pili, and iron acquisition [6]. The biofilm-associated protein encoded by the bap gene plays an important role in intercellular adhesion, accumulation of bacterial cells, and establishment of Molecules 2019, 24, 1849; doi:10.3390/molecules24101849 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules
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