Intragenomic conflicts with plasmids and chromosomal mobile genetic elements drive the evolution of natural transformation within species.

Natural transformation is the only mechanism of genetic exchange controlled by the recipient bacteria. We quantified its rates in 786 clinical strains of the human pathogens Legionella pneumophila (Lp) and 496 clinical and environmental strains of Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab). The analysis of transformation rates in the light of phylogeny revealed they evolve by a mixture of frequent small changes and a few large quick jumps across 6 orders of magnitude.

An Unprecedented Tolerance to Deletion of the Periplasmic Chaperones SurA, Skp, and DegP in the Nosocomial Pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii.

The outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria efficiently protects from harmful environmental stresses such as antibiotics, disinfectants, or dryness. The main constituents of the OM are integral OM β-barrel proteins (OMPs). In Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the insertion of OMPs depends on a sophisticated biogenesis pathway.

Evolutionarily stable gene clusters shed light on the common grounds of pathogenicity in the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex.

Nosocomial pathogens of the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii (ACB) complex are a cautionary example for the world-wide spread of multi- and pan-drug resistant bacteria. Aiding the urgent demand for novel therapeutic targets, comparative genomics studies between pathogens and their apathogenic relatives shed light on the genetic basis of human-pathogen interaction. Yet, existing studies are limited in taxonomic scope, sensing of the phylogenetic signal, and resolution by largely analyzing genes independent of their organization in functional gene clusters.

Draft Genome Sequence of Environmental Isolate Acinetobacter nosocomialis U20-HoPe-S34-3 from Germany.

The draft genome sequence of Acinetobacter nosocomialis U20-HoPe-S34-3, isolated from soil sampled from the banks of the river Holtemme in Germany, is provided. The strain has an average nucleotide identity of 98.3% to the type strain of the species.

Novel Genes Required for Surface-Associated Motility in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic and increasingly multi-drug resistant human pathogen rated as a critical priority one pathogen for the development of new antibiotics by the WHO in 2017. Despite the lack of flagella, A. baumannii can move along wet surfaces in two different ways: via twitching motility and surface-associated motility.

Acinetobacter stercoris sp. nov. isolated from output source of a mesophilic german biogas plant with anaerobic operating conditions.

The Gram-stain-negative, oxidase negative, catalase positive strain KPC-SM-21, isolated from a digestate of a storage tank of a mesophilic German biogas plant, was investigated by a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Phylogenetic identification based on the nearly full-length 16S rRNA gene revealed highest gene sequence similarity to Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 19606 (97.0%).

The status of the genus (Pot 1992) and the species (Pot 1992).

On the basis of two other publications (Yarza 2013; Nemec 2019) and on the basis of resequencing of the 16S rRNA gene of CIP 103579 it is concluded that CIP 103579, which is the only available strain of the species from culture collections, does not conform to the original description given by Pot (1992). The strain investigated is a member of the genus within the , a family of the and not a member of the as originally proposed. CIP 103579 shared 99.

Acinetobacter baumannii in manure and anaerobic digestates of German biogas plants.

Studies considering environmental multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter spp. are scarce. The application of manure on agricultural fields is one source of multidrug-resistant bacteria from livestock into the environment.

Low Occurrence of in Gulls and Songbirds.

is a worldwide occurring nosocomial pathogen, the natural habitats of which remain to be defined. Recently, white stork nestlings have been described as a recurring source of . Here, we challenged the hypothesis of a general preference of for avian hosts.

Methods for Natural Transformation in Acinetobacter baumannii.

The genomes of Acinetobacter baumannii tell us stories about horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events that steadily drive the evolution of this nosocomial pathogen toward multidrug resistance. Natural transformation competence constitutes one of the several possible pathways that mediate HGT in A. baumannii.

Contributions of RecA and RecBCD DNA repair pathways to the oxidative stress response and sensitivity of Acinetobacter baumannii to antibiotics.

Objectives: RecA and RecBCD are responsible for the repair of oxidative DNA damage in bacteria, including Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii). This study evaluated the contribution of recA, recB, recC and recD to the sensitivity and oxidative response of A.

Fluorescence-Based Detection of Natural Transformation in Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

is a nosocomial agent with a high propensity for developing resistance to antibiotics. This ability relies on horizontal gene transfer mechanisms occurring in the genus, including natural transformation. To study natural transformation in bacteria, the most prevalent method uses selection for the acquisition of an antibiotic resistance marker in a target chromosomal locus by the recipient cell.

Recombinant production of A1S_0222 from Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 17978 and confirmation of its DNA-(adenine N6)-methyltransferase activity.

Acinetobacter baumannii appears as an often multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogen in hospitals worldwide. Its remarkable persistence in the hospital environment is probably due to intrinsic and acquired resistance to disinfectants and antibiotics, tolerance to desiccation stress, capability to form biofilms, and is possibly facilitated by surface-associated motility. Our attempts to elucidate surface-associated motility in A.

Phenolic acids potentiate colistin-mediated killing of Acinetobacter baumannii by inducing redox imbalance.

Phenolic acids with catechol groups are good prooxidants because of their low redox potential. In this study, we provided data showing that phenolic acids, caffeic acid, gallic acid and protocatechuic acid, enhanced colistin-mediated bacterial death by inducing redox imbalance. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of these phenolic acids against Acinetobacter baumannii AB5075 were considerably lowered for ΔsodB and ΔkatG mutants.

Comamonas aquatilis sp. nov., isolated from a garden pond.

A beige-pigmented bacterial strain, SB30-Chr27-3, isolated from a garden pond, was studied for its taxonomic position. Cells of the isolate were rod-shaped and stained Gram-negative. A comparison of the 16S rRNA gene sequence with the sequences of the type strains of the most closely related species showed that the strain belongs to the genus Comamonas and showed highest sequence similarities to the type strains of Comamonas jiangduensis (97.

Complete Genome Sequencing of sp. Strain LoGeW2-3, Isolated from the Pellet of a White Stork, Reveals a Novel Class D Beta-Lactamase Gene.

Whole-genome sequencing of sp. strain LoGeW2-3, isolated from the pellet of a white stork (), reveals the presence of a plasmid of 179,399 bp encoding a CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and associated genes) system of the I-F type, and the chromosomally encoded novel class D beta-lactamase OXA-568.

Relatedness of wildlife and livestock avian isolates of the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii to lineages spread in hospitals worldwide.

The natural habitats and potential reservoirs of the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii are poorly defined. Here, we put forth and tested the hypothesis of avian reservoirs of A. baumannii.

Complete Genome Sequence of Acinetobacter sp. Strain NCu2D-2 Isolated from a Mouse.

Whole-genome sequencing of Acinetobacter sp. strain NCu2D-2, isolated from the trachea of a mouse, revealed the presence of a plasmid of 309,964 bp with little overall similarity to known plasmids and enriched in insertion sequences (ISs) closely related to IS elements known from the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii.

Hatchery workers' IgG antibody profiles to airborne bacteria.

Occupational exposure to high concentrations of airborne bacteria in poultry production is related to an increased risk of respiratory disorders. However, etiology and in particular microorganisms' potential role in pathogenesis still needs to be elucidated. Thus, detection of specific antibodies against occupational microbial antigens may lead to identification of potentially harmful species.

Clonal Transmission of Gram-Negative Bacteria with Carbapenemases NDM-1, VIM-1, and OXA-23/72 in a Bulgarian Hospital.

We characterized 72 isolates with reduced susceptibility to carbapenems (50 Acinetobacter spp., 13 Proteus mirabilis, five Escherichia coli, one Morganella morganii, one Enterobacter cloacae, one Providencia rettgeri, and one Pseudomonas aeruginosa) from a hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria. Different β-lactamase genes were identified by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing.