AUTHOR=López Maria , Blasco Lucia , Gato Eva , Perez Astrid , Fernández-Garcia Laura , Martínez-Martinez Luis , Fernández-Cuenca Felipe , Rodríguez-Baño Jesús , Pascual Alvaro , Bou German , Tomás Maria 

TITLE=Response to Bile Salts in Clinical Strains of Acinetobacter baumannii Lacking the AdeABC Efflux Pump: Virulence Associated with Quorum Sensing

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2017.00143

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2017.00143

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Introduction:</bold><italic>Acinetobacter baumannii</italic> is an opportunistic nosocomial pathogen associated with multiple infections. This pathogen usually colonizes (first stage of microbial infection) host tissues that are in contact with the external environment. As one of the sites of entry in human hosts is the gastrointestinal tract, the pathogen must be capable of tolerating bile salts. However, studies analyzing the molecular characteristics involved in the response to bile salts in clinical strains of <italic>A. baumannii</italic> are scarce.</p><p><bold>Material and Methods:</bold> Microbiological and transcriptional studies (arrays and RT-PCR) in the response to bile salts were carried out in isogenic (<italic>A. baumanni</italic> Δ<italic>adeB</italic> ATCC 17978 and <italic>A. baumannii</italic> Δ<italic>adeL</italic> ATCC 17978) and clinical strains from clone ST79/PFGE-HUI-1 which is characterized by lacking the AdeABC efflux pump and by overexpression the AdeFGH efflux pump.</p><p><bold>Results and Discussion:</bold> In presence of bile salts, in addition to the glutamate/aspartate transporter were found overexpressed in <italic>A. baumannii</italic> Δ<italic>adeB</italic> ATCC 17978, the virulence factors (surface motility, biofilm, and Type VI Secretion System) which are associated with activation of the Quorum Sensing system. Overexpression of these factors was confirmed in clinical strains of clone ST79/PFGE-HUI-1.</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> This the first study about the adaptive response to bile salts investigating the molecular and microbiological characteristics in response to bile salts of an isogenic model of <italic>A. baumannii</italic> ATCC 17978 and clinical isolates of <italic>A. baumannii</italic> (clinical strains of ST79/PFGE-HUI-1) lacking the main RND efflux pump (AdeABC). Clinical isolates of <italic>A. baumannii</italic> lacking the AdeABC efflux pump (clone ST79/PFGE-HUI-1) displayed a new clinical profile (increased invasiveness) possibly associated with the response to stress conditions (such as the presence of bile salts).</p>