Journal of Data Mining in Genomics & Proteomics

Abstract

Outer Membrane Vesicle Proteomics to Discover the Pathogenicity of Acinetobacter baumannii

Vishvanath Tiwari

 Acinetobacter baumannii causes pneumonia, urinary tract infection, bacteremia, meningitis, blood stream infection and wounds of combat casualty [1,2]. The ability of Acinetobacter to adhere at abiotic surface and form biofilm helps in its survival in the harsh environmental conditions such as desiccation, nutrient deficiency and antibiotic treatment. There is rising concern about antimicrobial drug resistance among Acinetobacter baumannii since the past decade [3-12]. Gram negative bacteria constitutively secrete Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) into the extracellular milieu that play crucial role in the delivery of virulence factors to host cells [13]. OMVs also act as intercellular communicasomes in polyspecies communities by enhancing bacterial survival, nutrient acquisition, biofilm formation, and pathogenesis [2,13,14]. OMVs allow enzymes/proteins to reach distant targets in a concentrated, protected, and targeted form. The gram-negative envelope also contains proteins with several important functions, such as nutrient acquisition, secretion, signaling, adherence, and protection from the environment [15]. Therefore, it is important to explore the OMVs for the better understanding of pathogenesis and virulence of Acinetobacter baumannii.