Exogenous hydrogen sulphide sensitizes carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii to gentamicin

Objective: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii pose a major public health threat. These bacteria often display broad-spectrum antibiotic resistance, rendering them resistant to nearly all classes of antibiotics. Hydrogen sulphide (H2S), a compound naturally produced by many bacterial specie...

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Main Authors: Nicolas Helsens, Jacqueline Findlay, Maxime Bouvier, Patrice Nordmann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213716525000888
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author Nicolas Helsens
Jacqueline Findlay
Maxime Bouvier
Patrice Nordmann
author_facet Nicolas Helsens
Jacqueline Findlay
Maxime Bouvier
Patrice Nordmann
author_sort Nicolas Helsens
collection DOAJ
description Objective: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii pose a major public health threat. These bacteria often display broad-spectrum antibiotic resistance, rendering them resistant to nearly all classes of antibiotics. Hydrogen sulphide (H2S), a compound naturally produced by many bacterial species, has been proposed to exert a protective effect against certain antibiotics. However, A. baumannii does not produced H2S. Methods: To investigate the effect of exogenous H2S on antibiotic resistance, several clinical isolates of carbapenemase-producing A. baumannii were cultured under various conditions, including the presence or absence of H2S and/or sub-inhibitory concentrations of gentamicin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and meropenem. Bacterial growth was assessed at multiple time points to evaluate growth dynamics. Results: Exogenous H2S alone had a limited impact on bacterial growth. However, its addition reduced the minimum inhibitory concentration of gentamicin and sensitized the bacteria to sub-inhibitory concentrations of this antibiotic. Conclusions: This study highlights the potential of H2S as an antibiotic potentiator, suggesting that the use of this combination may be a promising strategy for treating pulmonary infections caused by A. baumannii or for preventing colonization on medical devices such as catheters.
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spelling doaj-art-e1d65c30fed44e419e1b4423ab2302bf2025-08-20T03:30:32ZengElsevierJournal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance2213-71652025-06-014319820210.1016/j.jgar.2025.04.018Exogenous hydrogen sulphide sensitizes carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii to gentamicinNicolas Helsens0Jacqueline Findlay1Maxime Bouvier2Patrice Nordmann3Clinical Microbiology Unit, Pasteur Institute of Lille, Lille, France; European Institute for Emerging Antibiotic Resistance, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, SwitzerlandDepartment of Medicine, Medical and Molecular Microbiology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, SwitzerlandDepartment of Medicine, Medical and Molecular Microbiology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland; Swiss National Reference Center for Emerging Antibiotic Resistance, Fribourg, SwitzerlandEuropean Institute for Emerging Antibiotic Resistance, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland; Department of Medicine, Medical and Molecular Microbiology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland; Swiss National Reference Center for Emerging Antibiotic Resistance, Fribourg, Switzerland; Corresponding author. Mailing address: European Institute for Emerging Antibiotic Resistance, University of Fribourg, Medical and Molecular Microbiology, Chemin du Musée 18 - PER17, CH-1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.Objective: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii pose a major public health threat. These bacteria often display broad-spectrum antibiotic resistance, rendering them resistant to nearly all classes of antibiotics. Hydrogen sulphide (H2S), a compound naturally produced by many bacterial species, has been proposed to exert a protective effect against certain antibiotics. However, A. baumannii does not produced H2S. Methods: To investigate the effect of exogenous H2S on antibiotic resistance, several clinical isolates of carbapenemase-producing A. baumannii were cultured under various conditions, including the presence or absence of H2S and/or sub-inhibitory concentrations of gentamicin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and meropenem. Bacterial growth was assessed at multiple time points to evaluate growth dynamics. Results: Exogenous H2S alone had a limited impact on bacterial growth. However, its addition reduced the minimum inhibitory concentration of gentamicin and sensitized the bacteria to sub-inhibitory concentrations of this antibiotic. Conclusions: This study highlights the potential of H2S as an antibiotic potentiator, suggesting that the use of this combination may be a promising strategy for treating pulmonary infections caused by A. baumannii or for preventing colonization on medical devices such as catheters.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213716525000888A. baumanniiHydrogen sulphideGentamicinAntibiotic resistance
spellingShingle Nicolas Helsens
Jacqueline Findlay
Maxime Bouvier
Patrice Nordmann
Exogenous hydrogen sulphide sensitizes carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii to gentamicin
Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance
A. baumannii
Hydrogen sulphide
Gentamicin
Antibiotic resistance
title Exogenous hydrogen sulphide sensitizes carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii to gentamicin
title_full Exogenous hydrogen sulphide sensitizes carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii to gentamicin
title_fullStr Exogenous hydrogen sulphide sensitizes carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii to gentamicin
title_full_unstemmed Exogenous hydrogen sulphide sensitizes carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii to gentamicin
title_short Exogenous hydrogen sulphide sensitizes carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii to gentamicin
title_sort exogenous hydrogen sulphide sensitizes carbapenemase producing acinetobacter baumannii to gentamicin
topic A. baumannii
Hydrogen sulphide
Gentamicin
Antibiotic resistance
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213716525000888
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AT maximebouvier exogenoushydrogensulphidesensitizescarbapenemaseproducingacinetobacterbaumanniitogentamicin
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