More Than Just Light: Clinical Relevance of Light Perception in the Nosocomial Pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii and Other Members of the Genus Acinetobacter

MARÍA SOLEDAD RAMÍREZ; GABRIELA LETICIA MULLER; JORGELINA FERNANDA PÉREZ; ADRIÁN EZEQUIEL GOLIC; MARÍA ALEJANDRA MUSSI

PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2015 vol. 91 p. 1291 - 1301

0031-8655

A summary of the major findings concerning light modula- tion in Acinetobacter baumannii, which governs aspects related to the success of this microorganism as a nosocomial pathogen, is presented. Particularly, the evidence shows that light modulates the ability of the bacteria to persist in the environment, its virulence against eukaryotic hosts and even susceptibility to certain antibiotics. The light signal is sensed through different mechanisms, in some cases involving spe- cialized photoreceptors of the BLUF-type, whereas in others, directly by a photosensitizer molecule. We also provide new data concerning the genomic context of BLUF-domain con- taining proteins within the genus Acinetobacter, as well as further insights into the mechanism of light-mediated reduc- tion in susceptibility to antibiotics. The overall information points toward light being a crucial stimulus in the lifestyle of members of the genus Acinetobacter as well as in other clini- cally relevant species, such as members of the ESKAPE group, playing therefore an important role in the clinical settings.