A global regulatory system links virulence and antibiotic resistance to envelope homeostasis in Acinetobacter baumannii.

ABSTRACT: The nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii is a significant threat due to its ability to cause infections refractory to a broad range of antibiotic treatments. We show here that a highly conserved sensory-transduction system, BfmRS, mediates the coordinate development of both enhanced virulence and resistance in this microorganism. Hyperactive alleles of BfmRS conferred increased protection from serum complement killing and allowed lethal systemic disease in mice. BfmRS also augmented resistance and tolerance against an expansive set of antibiotics, including dramatic protection from β-lactam toxicity. Through transcriptome profiling, we showed that BfmRS governs these phenotypes through global transcriptional regulation of a post-exponential-phase-like program of gene expression, a k

SUBMITTER: Geisinger E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5967708 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature