Abstract

Aim: Persistence cells comprise a subpopulation of bacteria that is resistant to treatment. In this study, the role of the toxin-antitoxin (TA) system in the formation of persistence cells of Acinetobacter baumannii isolates was investigated. Methods: After confirming all isolates, TA systems abkBA, mqsRA and higBA were identified. Persister cells were confirmed using the standard method. Real-time PCR was used to compare the expression of TA systems in isolates in persistence and normal states. Results: The abkAB system was present in all isolates; 4 of isolates formed persister cells. The expression level of the abkB gene in persistent isolates showed a sevenfold increase compared with nonpersistent isolates. Conclusion: The abkBA system is proposed as an antipersistence target in A. baumannii isolates. Tweetable abstractThe abkBA toxin-antitoxin system is likely involved in the persistence phenotype in clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii. Plain language summaryAlthough antibiotics remain the easiest and best way to treat infectious diseases, due to their inappropriate use, the occurrence of drug-resistant infections is an important health challenge. For this reason, finding ways to control infectious diseases without antibiotics is a necessity. One way that this can be done is to target systems within the bacteria, like the recently discovered toxin-antitoxin system, which can be considered a future target for the treatment of resistant infectious diseases.