Abstract

ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX AS AN ANTIBIOFILM AND ANTI-INFECTION TARGET

El Kheloui Raja, El Megdar Soufiane, Laktib Asma, Mimouni Rachida and Hamadi Fatima*

Abstract

Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most worrisome pathogenic organisms in the healthcare environment, it is responsible for several lethal hospital acquired infections worldwide. The success of this bacterium is due to its resistance mechanisms to antimicrobial agents, its persistence and survival in the harshest environments for a prolonged period. This has been mainly related to the ability of this pathogen to form biofilms on biotic and abiotic surfaces. Biofilm gives the bacterial cells a life form embedded in an extracellular polymeric matrix (exopolysaccharides, proteins and extracellular DNA). This matrix is the defense barrier of the biofilm and crossing this barrier is the crucial step to eradicate the biofilm and the infection as a consequence. In this review, we have mentioned some of the works carried out in the framework of the strategies targeting the main composition of Acinetobacter baumannii matrix (Poly-(1-6)-N-acetylglucosamine, Biofilm-associated protein and eDNA) to activate the dispersion of the biofilm and to make the bacterial cells accessible to the antibacterial treatments.

Keywords: Acinetobacter baumannii, Biofilm, extracellular polymeric matrix, poly-(1- 6)-N-acetylglucosamine, biofilm-associated protein, extracellular DNA.