Acinetobacter species as model microorganisms in environmental microbiology: current state and perspectives

Abstract

Acinetobacter occupies an important position in nature because of its ubiquitous presence in diverse environments such as soils, fresh water, oceans, sediments, and contaminated sites. Versatile metabolic characteristics allow species of this genus to catabolize a wide range of natural compounds, implying active participation in the nutrient cycle in the ecosystem. On the other hand, multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii causing nosocomial infections with high mortality has been raising serious concerns in medicine. Due to the ecological and clinical importance of the genus, Acinetobacter was proposed as a model microorganism for environmental microbiological studies, pathogenicity tests, and industrial production of chemicals. For these reasons, Acinetobacter has attracted significant attention in scientific and biotechnological fields, but only limited research areas such as natural transformation and aromatic compound degradation have been intensively investigated, while important physiological characteristics including quorum sensing, motility, and stress response have been neglected. The aim of this review is to summarize the recent achievements in Acinetobacter research with a special focus on strain DR1 and to compare the similarities and differences between species or other genera. Research areas that require more attention in future research are also suggested.

Use of Comparative Genomics To Characterize the Diversity of Acinetobacter baumannii Surveillance Isolates in a Health Care Institution

“…he Acinetobacter genus is comprised of 34 named species, many of which are found ubiquitously in the environment (1). The most clinically relevant species are members of what is known as the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii (Acb) complex, which include A. baumannii, A. nosocomialis, A. pittii, and A. calcoaceticus (2).…”

Polypyrrole-Grafted Coconut Shell Biological Carbon as a Potential Adsorbent for Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether Removal: Characterization and Adsorption Capability

“…Acinetobacter , which occupies an important niche in nature, is another dominant genus that is ubiquitously distributed in numerous environments, including soil, sediments, water, and contaminated sites [34,35]. Moreover, Acinetobacter strains have the ability to mineralize versatile pollutants, such as various long-chain dicarboxylic acids, aromatic compounds, and hydroxylated aromatic compounds [36,37]. The desirable proprieties of Acinetobacter strains make them promising alternatives to Escherichia coli (a traditional model organism) for metabolism research.…”

Acinetobacter baumannii: Factors Involved in its High Adaptability to Adverse Environmental Conditions

“…When the concentration of a quorum signal reaches the threshold, physiological properties and expression of diverse genes are altered, often resulting in a multi-cellular phenotype of unicellular species. QS regulates virulence, motility, antibiotic production, biofilm and expression of many other genes such as a type IV pilus system, oxidative stress defense and multi-drug resistance efflux (MDF)-, ABCand RND-type pumps among others [12].…”

“…There is a need for microbiologist to further investigate the virulence mechanisms presents in A. baumannii that produces its high persistence and adaptability to adverse environmental conditions and survival under environmental stress conditions for possible discovery of more effective control measures [9,12].…”