Biofilm Formation in Acinetobacter Baumannii: Genotype-Phenotype Correlation

Abstract

Strains of Acinetobacter baumannii are commensal and opportunistic pathogens that have emerged as problematic hospital pathogens due to its biofilm formation ability and multiple antibiotic resistances. The biofilm-associated pathogens usually exhibit dramatically decreased susceptibility to antibiotics. This study was aimed to investigate the correlation of biofilm-forming ability, antibiotic resistance and biofilm-related genes of 154 A. baumannii isolates which were collected from a teaching hospital in Taiwan. Biofilm-forming ability of the isolates was evaluated by crystal violet staining and observed by scanning electron microscopy. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration; the biofilm-related genes were screened by polymerase chain reaction. Results showed that among the 154 tested isolates, 15.6% of the clinical isolates were weak biofilm producers, while 32.5% and 45.4% of them possessed moderate and strong biofilm formation ability, respectively. The experimental results revealed that the multiple drug resistant isolates usually provided a higher biofilm formation. The prevalence of biofilm related genes including bap, blaPER-1, csuE and ompA among the isolated strains was 79.2%, 38.3%, 91.6%, and 68.8%, respectively. The results indicated that the antibiotic resistance, the formation of biofilm and the related genes were significantly correlated. The results of this study can effectively help to understand the antibiotic resistant mechanism and provides the valuable information to the screening, identification, diagnosis, treatment and control of clinical antibiotic-resistant pathogens.