Desiccation tolerance assays for acinetobacter baumannii

Abstract

Acinetobacter baumannii is a hospital-associated pathogen of growing importance and is a paradigm for endemic hospital contamination. Desiccation tolerance has been implicated as an important characteristic that potentiates the spread of A. baumannii in clinical settings through contaminated healthcare equipment and personnel. Desiccation is a multifaceted stress, and many physiological and environmental factors can influence its impact on bacterial survival. This chapter provides a protocol for assessing desiccation survival that facilitates comparisons among A. baumannii strains under various environmental conditions.