DISSECTING THE VIRULENCE STRATEGIES OF ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII

You are cordially invited to the lecture
   of the Sackler Lecturer

Professor Mario Feldman

Department of Molecular Microbiology

     Washington University

Lecture 

"DISSECTING THE VIRULENCE STRATEGIES

       OF ACINETOBACTER  BAUMANNII"

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Abstract:

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Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are the most common adverse event in 
healthcare settings that affect patient safety. They contribute to significant

morbidity, mortality, and financial burden on patients and healthcare systems. 
Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab) has been a leading cause of HAI, and it is the 
Gram-negative bacterium displaying the highest rate of multidrug resistance 
(MDR). Reflecting its growing impact on global health, the World Health

Organization has listed carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter as a critical threat 
to human health, prioritizing research into the development of new therapeutics.
Although hospital-acquired pneumonia and bloodstream infections are the most 
common infections associated with Acinetobacter, softtissue infections, and 
urinary tract infections (UTIs) are also prevalent. Notably, ~20% of
A. baumannii clinical strains are isolated from urinary sources, 60% of which 
correspond to catheter-associated UTI (CAUTI). In this seminar, I will first 
discuss our recent advances in understanding how A. baumannii cause infections,
and in particular, UTIs. Traditional efforts to understand and track hospital 
outbreaks have focused on direct contact transmission, where infected patients act 
as sources for bacterial transmission to uncolonized patients. Hospitals often 
institute active patient surveillance, strict contact precautions, and sterilization 
interventions. Although these measures mitigate the spread of bacteria, the 
means by which new strains initiate hospital outbreaks are rarely understood.
I will present our work supporting the hypothesis that patients previously 
colonized by A. baumannii act as reservoirs for potential outbreaks in hospital 
settings. Understanding the reservoirs and virulence mechanisms of nosocomial 
pathogens like Ab will aid in the development of effective strategies for infection 
prevention and control in hospital settings.

The lecture will be held on Monday, 21 March 2022, 
at 12:15, Hall 100, Faculty of Medicine Building

If you wish to meet with Prof. Mario Feldman please 
contact Prof. Dor Salomon at dorsalomon@mail.tau.ac.il