Genomic Comparison of Multi-Drug Resistant, Invasive Acinetobacter Reveals Genomic Plasticity

Published 2011 June 4;12(1):291[Epub ahead of print], in BMC Genomics, the results of comparison using a whole genome approach with three isolates and focused PCR assay on over 70 isolates demonstrated that A. baumannii is a diverse and genomically variable pathogen that appears to have the potential to cause a range of human disease, regardless of the isolation source.

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a significant global pathogen, due to its persistence in the hospital environment, rapid acquisition of antibiotic resistance and the broad spectra of its antimicrobial resistance patterns. It has spread rapidly within hospitals and health care institutions. These features have made A. baumannii a highly studied emerging pathogen in the heath care setting.

This study could have only been completed with the assembled interdisciplinary team of epidemiologists, clinical laboratory personnel, bioinformaticians and microbial genomics researchers from the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and Epidemiology & Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Dr. Anthony Harris, Director of the Division of Genomic Epidemiology and Clinical Outcomes and co-author on the paper highlights that “additional genomic research needs to be done to elucidate why Acinetobacter baumanii has emerged as a hospital pathogen and what is contributing to its patient-to-patient spread. This study gets us closer to that goal”.

“This study provides insight into the genomic variability of A. baumannii within a hospital setting and body sites, which will allow us a better understanding of the basic processes of this emerging pathogen.” commented Dr. Rasko, the corresponding author on the study.

Media Contact

Sarah Pick Newswise Science News

More Information:

http://www.umaryland.edu

All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry

Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.

Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Lighting up the future

New multidisciplinary research from the University of St Andrews could lead to more efficient televisions, computer screens and lighting. Researchers at the Organic Semiconductor Centre in the School of Physics and…

Researchers crack sugarcane’s complex genetic code

Sweet success: Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease resistance in plants….

Evolution of the most powerful ocean current on Earth

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets….

Partners & Sponsors