Biofilm and antibiotic resistance in acinetobacter baumannii

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.