Scanning electron microscopy image of clusters of aerobic Gram-negative, non-motile Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria.
Photo credit: Janice Carr, CDC, https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/File:9327_lores.jpg
Acinetobacter baumannii: An opportunistic pathogen of worrying health concerns
Acinetobacter baumannii, named after the bacteriologist Paul Baumann, is a typically short, rod-shaped (coccobacillus) Gram-negative bacterium. It is able to grow on MacConkey Agar as a lactose non-fermenter. A. baumannii is also a glucose-non-fermenter (as opposite to Enterobacterales) and oxidase-negative (as opposite to Pseudomonas).
Although it has occasionally been found in environmental soil and water samples, the natural habitat of A. baumannii is still not known. A. baumannii is more often isolated from clinical samples and hospital environments than natural sources.
A. baumannii can be an opportunistic pathogen in humans, commonly affecting people with compromised immune systems, and is becoming increasingly a key nosocomial a hospital-acquired infections.
Biology of Acinetobacter XIV
For over 25 years, this important conference has been the premier venue for collaboration between researchers and infectious diseases physicians interested in Acinetobacter biology, virulence, and drug resistance. This highly specialized conference will cover the newest research on Acinetobacter physiology and interactions with hosts. It is a perfect opportunity for attendees to showcase their research, learn about the most recent advances in the field, and collaborate with fellow scientists.
This year is the conference’s first time in the United States. and the first time as a part of FASEB’s conference lineup!
The main focus will be the biology of Acinetobacter spp. with a special emphasis on the virulence of Acinetobacter baumannii, presenting the latest cutting-edge and unpublished research. The program includes a diverse range of speakers, concentrating on the latest developments in the field and a special focus on providing opportunities for early-career researchers and those from historically excluded groups.
For registration: https://events.faseb.org/event/biology-of-acinetobacter/home
Ab-web: educational website and communication tool
Our "Acinetobacter baumannii" website (Ab-web) is a public service that supports scientists, healthcare staff, and other fans of this bacterium. It offers a solution to share data, hypotheses, research designs, drafts and samples with peers, in order to make our research projects more accessible, verifiable and robust and to enlarge the dissemination and impact of our results.
The platform provides an online resource for individual researchers, data scientists, and teams to get access to a range of hot topics, challenging issues, and regularly updated news. It is an interdisciplinary and fully open science platform for peers to contribute to an already existing project by adding their own building blocks, or to establish a new project targeting a research question of common interest.
