Heavy Metal Toxicity in Armed Conflicts Potentiates AMR in A. baumannii by Selecting for Antibiotic and Heavy Metal Co-resistance Mechanisms

Frontiers in Microbiology

Hannah Landecker¹  Charles Knapp²  Megan M. McEvoy³  Muhammad H. Zaman⁴  Paul G. Higgins⁶  Aula Abara⁹  Louis-Patrick Haraoui^1,10  Nabil Karah^1,11  Ghassan Abou-Sitta^1,12  Omar Dewachi^1,13  Vinh-Kim Nguyen^1,14  Aya Nasser^1,15  Ghassan M. Matar^1,15  Antoine G. Abou Fayad^1,15  Wael Bazzi^1,15 

[1] 0Department of Sociology and Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;1Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom;2Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States;3Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States;4Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany;5German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany;Center for Infectious Diseases Research, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon;Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon;Department of Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom;Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada;Department of Molecular Biology, Umea University, Umea, Sweden;Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon;Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, United States;The Graduate Institute of International and Developmental Studies, Geneva, Switzerland;World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Bacterial Pathogens, Beirut, Lebanon;

关键词: Acinetobacter baumannii;    bacteria;    heavy metals;    heavy metal tolerance;    antimicrobial resistance;    conflict;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmicb.2020.00068

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Acinetobacter baumannii has become increasingly resistant to leading antimicrobial agents since the 1970s. Increased resistance appears linked to armed conflicts, notably since widespread media stories amplified clinical reports in the wake of the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. Antimicrobial resistance is usually assumed to arise through selection pressure exerted by antimicrobial treatment, particularly where treatment is inadequate, as in the case of low dosing, substandard antimicrobial agents, or shortened treatment course. Recently attention has focused on an emerging pathogen, multi-drug resistant A. baumannii (MDRAb). MDRAb gained media attention after being identified in American soldiers returning from Iraq and treated in US military facilities, where it was termed “Iraqibacter.” However, MDRAb is strongly associated in the literature with war injuries that are heavily contaminated by both environmental debris and shrapnel from weapons. Both may harbor substantial amounts of toxic heavy metals. Interestingly, heavy metals are known to also select for antimicrobial resistance. In this review we highlight the potential causes of antimicrobial resistance by heavy metals, with a focus on its emergence in A. baumanni in war zones.

【 授权许可】

Unknown