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Biofilm and Antibiotic Resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii

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Bacterial Adaptation to Co-resistance

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Abstract

Biofilms are the protective armour formed by the bacterial pathogens constituting polysaccharides, proteins and DNA which them inaccessible for antibiotics and other biocides. The strategy employed by nosocomial pathogens such as Acinetobacter baumannii, for survival in hospital their exceptional ability to produce highly resistant biofilms. Biofilms assist these bacteria to thrive in adverse conditions such as desiccation, nutrient depletion and physiological stress. A. baumannii secretes exopolysaccharides once it has successfully adhered to a surface hydrophilic like glass or hydrophobic such as host cell surfaces. A. baumannii being listed by WHO as the leading antibiotic-resistant priority pathogens list for which there is an urgent need to develop new antibiotics, this chapter will summarise the existing knowledge on the stages in biofilm formation, architecture of biofilm matrix, genetic regulation of biofilm formation in A. baumannii and recent developments in biofilm inhibiting/dispersing agents.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA

    Rajagopalan Saranathan

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Pondicherry Central University, Puducherry, India

    Sudhakar Pagal & K. Prashanth

Authors
  1. Rajagopalan Saranathan
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  2. Sudhakar Pagal
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  3. K. Prashanth
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Correspondence to Rajagopalan Saranathan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Central Research Facility, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India

    Santi M. Mandal

  2. Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Debarati Paul

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Saranathan, R., Pagal, S., Prashanth, K. (2019). Biofilm and Antibiotic Resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii. In: Mandal, S., Paul, D. (eds) Bacterial Adaptation to Co-resistance. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8503-2_9

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