Vaccination with Acinetobacter baumannii adhesin Abp2D provides protection against catheter-associated urinary tract infection

Morgan R. Timm, Kevin O. Tamadonfar, Taylor M. Nye, Jesús Bazán Villicaña, Jerome S. Pinkner, Karen W. Dodson, Ali H. Ellebedy and Scott J. Hultgren ()
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Morgan R. Timm: Washington University School of Medicine
Kevin O. Tamadonfar: Washington University School of Medicine
Taylor M. Nye: Washington University School of Medicine
Jesús Bazán Villicaña: Washington University School of Medicine
Jerome S. Pinkner: Washington University School of Medicine
Karen W. Dodson: Washington University School of Medicine
Ali H. Ellebedy: Washington University School of Medicine
Scott J. Hultgren: Washington University School of Medicine

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) contribute greatly to the burden of healthcare-associated infections. Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative bacterium with high levels of antibiotic resistance that is of increasing concern as a CAUTI pathogen. A. baumannii expresses fibrinogen-binding adhesins (Abp1D and Abp2D) that mediate biofilm formation on catheters, which become coated with fibrinogen upon insertion. Here we develop a protein subunit vaccine against the Abp1D and Abp2D receptor binding domains (RBD) and show that vaccination significantly reduces bacterial titers in a female mouse model of CAUTI. We further demonstrate that immunity to Abp2DRBD alone is sufficient for protection. Mechanistically, we define the B cell response to Abp2DRBD vaccination, demonstrate that passive immunization with Abp2DRBD-immune serum transfers immunity to naïve mice, and show that Abp2DRBD-immune serum inhibits bacterial binding to fibrinogen-coated catheters. This work represents an antibiotic-sparing strategy for the prevention of A. baumannii CAUTI which has an important role in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62402-9

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