Antibiofilm Activity of Human Milk Oligosaccharides against Multidrug Resistant and Susceptible Isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii is a serious threat to human health, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest threat assessment. A. baumannii is a Gram-negative opportunistic bacterial pathogen that causes severe community and nosocomial infections in immunocompromised patients. Treatment of these infections is confounded by the emergence of multi- and pan-drug resistant strains of A. baumannii. A. baumannii colonizes abiotic and biotic surfaces and evades antimicrobial challenges by forming biofilms, which are three-dimensional architectural structures of cells adhered to a substrate and encased in an extracellular matrix comprised of polymeric substances such as polysaccharides, proteins, and DNA. Biofilm-inhibiting compounds have recently gained attention as a chemotherapeutic strategy to prevent or disperse A. baumannii biofilms and restore the utility of traditional antimicrobial strategies. Recent work indicates that human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) have potent antibacterial and biofilm-inhibiting properties. We sought to test the utility of HMOs against a bank of clinical isolates of A. baumannii to ascertain changes in bacterial growth or biofilm formation. Our results indicate that out of 18 strains tested, 14 were susceptible to the antibiofilm activities of HMOs, and that the potent antibiofilm activity was observed in strains isolated from diverse anatomical sites, disease manifestations, and across antibiotic-resistant and susceptible strains.

Automated summary

A. baumannii poses a serious threat to human health by forming biofilms that lead to difficult-to-treat infections. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) exhibit strong antibiofilm properties and are effective against most strains of A. baumannii.