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REVIEW article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Clinical Microbiology
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1462620

Phage-encoded depolymerases as a strategy for combating multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Provisionally accepted
Md Minarul Islam Md Minarul Islam 1Nasir Uddin Mahbub Nasir Uddin Mahbub 2Woo Shik Shin Woo Shik Shin 3Man Hwan Oh Man Hwan Oh 4,5,6*
  • 1 Smart Animal Bio Institute, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea, Department of Microbiology, College of Science and Technology, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
  • 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences and Institute for Medical Science, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju-54907, Republic of Korea, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
  • 3 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272 United States, Rootstown, United States
  • 4 Department of Microbiology, College of Science and Technology, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea, Cheonan, South Chungcheong, Republic of Korea
  • 5 Smart Animal Bio institute, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
  • 6 Center for Bio-Medical Engineering Core Facility, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea, Cheonan, Republic of Korea

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Acinetobacter baumannii, a predominant nosocomial pathogen, represents a grave threat to public health due to its multiple antimicrobial resistance. Managing patients afflicted with severe infections caused by multiple drug-resistant A. baumannii is particularly challenging, given the associated high mortality rates and unfavorable prognoses. The diminishing efficacy of antibiotics against this superbug underscores the urgent necessity for novel treatments or strategies to address this formidable issue. Bacteriophage-derived polysaccharide depolymerase enzymes present a potential approach to combating this pathogen.These enzymes target and degrade the bacterial cell's exopolysaccharide, capsular polysaccharide, and lipopolysaccharide, thereby disrupting biofilm formation and impairing the bacteria's defense mechanisms. Nonetheless, the narrow host range of phage depolymerases limits their therapeutic efficacy. Despite the benefits of these enzymes, phage-resistant strains have been identified, highlighting the complexity of phage-host interactions and the need for further investigation. While preliminary findings are encouraging, current investigations are limited, and clinical trials are imperative to advance this treatment approach for broader clinical applications. This review explores the potential of phage-derived depolymerase enzymes against A. baumannii infections.

    Keywords: Bacteriophage, Depolymerase, polysaccharide, Biofilm, Drug Resistance, a

    Received: 10 Jul 2024; Accepted: 26 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Islam, Mahbub, Shin and Oh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Man Hwan Oh, Department of Microbiology, College of Science and Technology, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea, Cheonan, South Chungcheong, Republic of Korea

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.