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Updated: Nov 21, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancing Antibiotic Resistance Research Using an Efflux-Deficient Bacterial Strain and a Single-Copy Gene Expression System
Published on: January 5, 2024
Bacteriophage-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii are resensitized to antimicrobials
Fernando Gordillo Altamirano1, John H Forsyth2, Ruzeen Patwa2
1School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia. fernando.gordilloaltamirano@monash.edu.
Abstract:
We characterized two bacteriophages, ΦFG02 and ΦCO01, against clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii and established that the bacterial capsule is the receptor for these phages. Phage-resistant mutants harboured loss-of-function mutations in genes responsible for capsule biosynthesis, resulting in capsule loss and disruption of phage adsorption. The phage-resistant strains were resensitized to human complement, beta-lactam antibiotics and alternative phages and exhibited diminished fitness in vivo. Using a mouse model of A. baumannii infection, we showed that phage therapy was effective.
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