Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: differential adherence to HEp-2 and A-549 cells

Acinetobacter baumannii has been associated with antimicrobial resistance and ability to form biofilms. Furthermore, its adherence to host cells is an important factor to the colonization process. Therefore, this study intended to identify some virulence factors that can explain the success of A. baumannii in causing nosocomial infections. We studied 92 A. baumannii isolates collected from hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Isolates were identified and the susceptibility to antimicrobials was determined. Oxacilinase type β-lactamase encoding genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and genetic diversity was investigated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). In addition, biofilm formation on polystyrene plates using crystal violet staining was quantified, and adherence to human cell lines was evaluated. Eighty-six isolates were multidrug-resistant, of which 93% were carbapenem-resistant. All isolates had the bla_OXA-51 gene and 94% had the bla_OXA-23 gene, other searched bla_OXA genes were not detected. PFGE typing showed two predominant clones, and biofilm production was observed in 79% of isolates. A. baumannii isolates adhered better to HEp-2 cell compared with A-549 cell. Clones A, B, E, and F showed a significantly increased adherence to HEp-2 compared with adherence to A-549 cell. Our findings revealed that A. baumannii isolates had high frequencies of resistance to antimicrobial agents, ability to form biofilm, and capacity to adhere to HEp-2 cells.