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The antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii bacterium is among the most globally dangerous micro organism that causes hospital-acquired infections. Researchers on the University of Turku have found that the bacterium spreads by attaching to surfaces utilizing ultrathin stretchy fibers. The researchers additionally revealed how these fibers are shaped on the bacterial floor and urged new approaches to stop bacterial infections. The new findings have been revealed in Nature.
Infections associated to hospitals and medical units trigger main well being care issues worldwide. These infections are related to the power of pathogens to colonize each biotic and abiotic surfaces.
“The pan-antibiotic resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is among the most troublesome pathogens for well being care establishments globally and at present tops the World Health Organization’s precedence pathogens listing for the event of recent antibiotics,” says the Head of the Joint Biotechnology Laboratory Anton Zavialov from the MediCity Research Center on the Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Finland.
Zavialov’s analysis group, consisting of the Doctoral Researcher Henri Malmi and Senior Researchers Natalia Pakharukova, Minna Tuittila, and Sari Paavilainen found distinctive floor buildings that allows Acinetobacter baumannii and associated pathogenic micro organism to colonize medical units and infect sufferers.
“This discovery might assist combating many bacterial infections, as a result of the identical floor attachment mechanism is utilized by many necessary bacterial pathogens, together with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the second high precedence pathogen on the WHO listing,” says Zavialov.
Bacterium attaches to surfaces utilizing ultrathin stretchy fibers
Acinetobacter baumannii is able to colonizing medical units by way of archaic chaperone-usher (ACU) pili. ACU pili are hair-like protein fibers discovered on the floor of many pathogenic micro organism.
Using cryo-electron microscopy, the researchers discovered that the pili have a singular ultrathin zigzag structure. The fibers firmly connect the bacterium to varied biotic and abiotic surfaces with tiny sticky finger-like buildings at their ends. Once the sticky fingers grip the floor, the fiber is troublesome to detach as a result of it might stretch by altering its conformation from the zigzag to linear form.
“This phenomenon is well-known to sailors. It is now widespread to make use of stretchable components in mooring strains to dock boats safely in comparatively tough water. If you think about a bacterium the identical dimension as a human, then the attachment fibers of this large bacterium will nonetheless be 100 instances thinner than human arms. The skill to stretch is crucial for such skinny fibers to resist excessive shear forces which micro organism expertise of their setting,” Zavialov explains.
“Our outcomes recommend that the distinctive zigzag construction of the fibers additionally performs an necessary function of their secretion to the bacterial floor. Fibers are secreted from the within of the bacterium by its outer membrane within the prolonged linear conformation. On the floor, they modify their conformation to the zigzag form, which prevents them from slipping again into the bacterium. Theoretically, we are able to develop medicine stopping this conformational change. Such medicine would block fiber biogenesis, abolishing bacterial attachment,” Henri Malmi concludes.
Hospital superbug makes use of tiny sticky fingers to contaminate medical instruments and units
More data:
Natalia Pakharukova et al, Archaic chaperone-usher pili self-secrete into superelastic zigzag springs, Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05095-0
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University of Turku
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Hospital superbugs use skinny stretchy fibers to connect to surfaces and trigger infections (2022, August 18)
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