Prevalence of Acinetobacter baumannii strains expressing the type 6 secretion system in patients with bacteremia

Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab) is an important nosocomial pathogen, of major concern worldwide due to its multi-drug resistance and the recent appearance of hyper-virulent strains in the clinical setting. Ab multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains are frequently associated to different types of infections, such as pneumonia, skin burns, endocarditis, meningitis and septicemia, prevalent in intensive care units. For these reasons, Ab has just been included by the World Health Organization in the list of critical priority pathogens for further studies and development of novel therapeutic approaches. In this respect, advanced knowledge of Ab physiology and mechanisms involved in environmental persistence, host colonization and virulence, all of which could be included in what is known as the physiopathology of the microorganism, is required to reduce the socio-economic impact caused by Ab infections. [...]