Relationship Between the Quorum Network (Sensing/Quenching) and Clinical Features of Pneumonia and Bacteraemia Caused by A. baumannii.

Abstract

Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab) is one of the most important pathogens associated with nosocomial infections, especially pneumonia. Interest in the Quorum network, i.e., Quorum Sensing (QS)/Quorum Quenching (QQ), in this pathogen has grown in recent years. The Quorum network plays an important role in regulating diverse virulence factors such as surface motility and bacterial competition through the type VI secretion system (T6SS), which is associated with bacterial invasiveness. In the present study, we investigated 30 clinical strains of A. baumannii isolated in the "II Spanish Study of A. baumannii GEIH-REIPI 2000-2010" (Genbank Umbrella Bioproject PRJNA422585), a multicentre study describing the relationship between the Quorum network in A. baumannii and the development of pneumonia and associated bacteraemia. Expression of the aidA gene (encoding the AidA protein, QQ enzyme) was lower (P