RND-Type Efflux Pumps in Multidrug-Resistant Clinical Isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii: Major Role for AdeABC Overexpression and AdeRS Mutations

Increased expression of chromosomal genes for resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND)-type efflux systems plays a major role in the multidrug resistance (MDR) of Acinetobacter baumannii. However, the relative contributions of the three most prevalent pumps, AdeABC, AdeFGH, and AdeIJK, have not been evaluated in clinical settings. We have screened 14 MDR clinical isolates shown to be distinct on the basis of multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for the presence and overexpression of the three Ade efflux systems and analyzed the sequences of the regulators AdeRS, a two-component system, for AdeABC and AdeL, a LysR-type regulator, for AdeFGH. Gene adeB was detected in 13 of 14 isolates, and adeG and the intrinsic adeJ gene were detected in all strains. Significant overexpression of adeB was observed in 10 strains, whereas only 7 had moderately increased levels of expression of AdeFGH, and none overexpressed AdeIJK. Thirteen strains had reduced susceptibility to tigecycline, but there was no correlation between tigecycline MICs and the levels of AdeABC expression, suggesting the presence of other mechanisms for tigecycline resistance. No mutations were found in the highly conserved LysR regulator of the nine strains expressing AdeFGH. In contrast, functional mutations were found in conserved domains of AdeRS in all the strains that overexpressed AdeABC with two mutational hot spots, one in AdeS near histidine 149 suggesting convergent evolution and the other in the DNA binding domain of AdeR compatible with horizontal gene transfer. This report outlines the high incidence of AdeABC efflux pump overexpression in MDR A. baumannii as a result of a variety of single mutations in the corresponding two-component regulatory system.