Acinetobacter baumannii OmpA-like porins: functional characterization of bacterial physiology, antibiotic-resistance, and virulence.

Acinetobacter baumannii is a critical opportunistic pathogen associated with nosocomial infections. The high rates of antibiotic-resistance acquisition make most antibiotics ineffective. Thus, new medical countermeasures are urgently needed.

The virulence factor apyrase is released inside eukaryotic cells to hijack host cell fate.

In this paper, we demonstrated that apyrase is released within the host cell cytoplasm during infection to target the intracellular ATP pool. By degrading intracellular ATP, apyrase contributes to prevent caspases activation, thereby inhibiting the activation of pyroptosis in infected cells. Our results show, for the first time, that apyrase is involved in the modulation of host cell survival, thereby aiding this pathogen to dampen the inflammatory response.

Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Isolates Recovered from the Uterus of Mares with Fertility Problems.

is the bacterial pathogen most frequently associated with mare infertility. Here, we characterized 24 strains isolated from mares which presented signs of endometritis and infertility from a genotypic and phenotypic point of view. The majority of the isolates belonged to phylogenetic group B1 (9/24, 37.

Urinary Tract Infections Caused by Uropathogenic Strains-New Strategies for an Old Pathogen.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections worldwide. Uropathogenic (UPECs) are the main causative agent of UTIs. UPECs initially colonize the human host adhering to the bladder epithelium.

Extraintestinal Pathogenic : Beta-Lactam Antibiotic and Heavy Metal Resistance.

Multiple-antibiotic-resistant (MAR) extra-intestinal pathogenic (ExPEC) represents one of the most frequent causes of human nosocomial and community-acquired infections, whose eradication is of major concern for clinicians. ExPECs may inhabit indefinitely as commensal the gut of humans and other animals; from the intestine, they may move to colonize other tissues, where they are responsible for a number of diseases, including recurrent and uncomplicated UTIs, sepsis and neonatal meningitis. In the pre-antibiotic era, heavy metals were largely used as chemotherapeutics and/or as antimicrobials in human and animal healthcare.