Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram negative opportunistic pathogen that has demonstrated a significant insurgence in the prevalence of infections over recent decades. With only a limited number of “traditional” virulence factors, the mechanisms underlying the success of this pathogen remain of great interest. Major advances have been made in the tools, reagents, and models to study A. baumannii pathogenesis, and this has resulted in a substantial increase in knowledge. This article provides a comprehensive review of the bacterial virulence factors, the host immune responses, and animal models applicable for the study of this important human pathogen. Collating the most recent evidence characterizing bacterial virulence factors, their cellular targets and genetic regulation, we have encompassed numerous aspects important to the success of this pathogen, including membrane proteins and cell surface adaptations promoting immune evasion, mechanisms for nutrient acquisition and community interactions. The role of innate and adaptive immune responses is reviewed and areas of paucity in our understanding are highlighted. Finally, with the vast expansion of available animal models over recent years, we have evaluated those suitable for use in the study of Acinetobacter disease, discussing their advantages and limitations.
Highlights
Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram negative, obligate aerobe, coccobacillus, and one of the most prevalent causes of nosocomial infections (Martín-Aspas et al, 2018)
Mortality rates for community-acquired A. baumannii infections have been reported as high as 64% (Anstey et al, 1992; Patamatamkul et al, 2017); it is currently unknown as to whether host or bacterial factors are responsible for the difference in disease presentation between community and hospital infections
While numerous studies have examined the ability of different bacterial components to induce a range of adaptive immune responses (McConnell and Pachón, 2010; McConnell et al, 2011a,b; García-Quintanilla et al, 2014; Badmasti et al, 2015; Kuolee et al, 2015; Garg et al, 2016; Ainsworth et al, 2017; Bazmara et al, 2017; Pulido et al, 2018; Song et al, 2018), very little work has been done to examine these during the course of infection, due to several confounding factors, including the available animal models, rate of disease progression and severity
Summary
Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram negative opportunistic pathogen that has demonstrated a significant insurgence in the prevalence of infections over recent decades. With only a limited number of “traditional” virulence factors, the mechanisms underlying the success of this pathogen remain of great interest. This article provides a comprehensive review of the bacterial virulence factors, the host immune responses, and animal models applicable for the study of this important human pathogen. Collating the most recent evidence characterizing bacterial virulence factors, their cellular targets and genetic regulation, we have encompassed numerous aspects important to the success of this pathogen, including membrane proteins and cell surface adaptations promoting immune evasion, mechanisms for nutrient acquisition and community interactions. With the vast expansion of available animal models over recent years, we have evaluated those suitable for use in the study of Acinetobacter disease, discussing their advantages and limitations
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