Phenylacetic acid mediates <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> entry into a viable but non-culturable state.

ABSTRACT: Desiccation tolerance is central to the pathogenic success of the opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii, allowing its survival on hospital surfaces in the absence of water and nutrients for months at a time, compromising surface decontamination and aiding cross-contamination between staff and patients. Despite the importance of desiccation tolerance, the regulation underpinning this behaviour remains largely elusive. In this work, transcriptomic analyses of desiccated cells revealed phenylacetic acid (PAA) catabolism as an essential mediator of desiccation tolerance. We subsequently demonstrate that deletion of the paa operon abolished the clonogenicity of desiccated cells. Strikingly, these A. baumannii cells remained viable by entering the viable but non-cul

SUBMITTER: Harkova LG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12811014 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature