Functional Characterization of AbaQ, a Novel Efflux Pump Mediating Quinolone Resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as an important multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogen. In previous work, we identified a putative MFS transporter, AU097_RS17040, involved in the pathogenicity of A. baumannii (M. Perez-Varela, J. Corral, J. A. Vallejo, S. Rumbo-Feal, G. Bou, J. Aranda, and J. Barbe, Infect Immun 85:e00327-17, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.00327-17). In this study, we analyzed the susceptibility to diverse antimicrobial agents of A. baumannii cells defective in this transporter, referred to as AbaQ. Our results showed that AbaQ is mainly involved in the extrusion of quinolone-type drugs in A. baumannii.