Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant (CRAB) (CRAB)

Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant (CRAB) is a Gram-negative, non-fermenting bacterium that is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections (StatPearls, 2023). It is recognized by the World Health Organization as a Priority 1: Critical pathogen due to its extensive antibiotic resistance and the lack of effective therapeutic options (WHO, 2017). CRAB primarily affects critically ill patients in intensive care units, causing severe conditions such as ventilator-associated pneumonia, bloodstream infections, and meningitis (CDC, 2019). Its resistance to carbapenems is largely mediated by the production of carbapenem-hydrolyzing oxacillinases (OXA-type beta-lactamases) and metallo-beta-lactamases, which degrade last-line beta-lactam antibiotics (Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2017). Because CRAB is a whole bacterial organism rather than a single molecular target, drug development focuses on inhibiting various essential bacterial processes, including cell wall assembly, protein synthesis, and membrane integrity (Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 2021). Current treatment strategies often involve combination therapies or newer agents like cefiderocol and sulbactam-durlobactam, though clinical management remains difficult due to high mortality rates and potential drug toxicities (Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2023).

Other names

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumanniiCRABMultidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumanniiMDRAB

Drugs targeting CRAB utilize various mechanisms, including inhibition of cell wall synthesis via penicillin-binding protein binding (e.g., cefiderocol), inhibition of the 30S ribosomal subunit to disrupt protein synthesis (e.g., tigecycline), and disruption of the bacterial outer membrane (e.g., polymyxins) (StatPearls, 2023).