Multi-drug efflux pumps and antibiotic resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii

Bacterial multi-drugs systems contribute to the development of multi-resistance patterns of Acinetobacter baumannii, a nosocomial pathogen of increasing importance due to its emerging resistance to carbapenems. The multi-resistance phenomena is generated by a combination of mechanisms, one of which the efflux pump system. Many of these multiresistant isolates of A. baumannii harbor genes for the AdeABC multi-drug efflux system, related with resistance to various groups of antibacterial agents, including tygecicline and meropenem. Inhibition of these systems would allow to increase the efficacy of this antimicrobial. This review focuses on the multi-drug efflux pump system of A. baumannii with special emphasis in the AdeABC system.