Antibiotic resistance
The clinical significance of "A. baumannii" is partially due to its capacity to develop resistance against many available antibiotics. Reports indicate that it possesses resistance against broad-spectrum cephalosporins, β-lactam antibiotics, aminoglycosides, and quinolones. Resistance to carbapenems is also being increasingly reported. "A. baumannii" can survive on the human skin or dry surfaces for weeks and is resistant to a variety of disinfectants, making it particularly easy to spread in a hospital setting. Antibiotic resistance genes are often plasmid-borne, and plasmids present in "Acinetobacter" strains can be transferred to other pathogenic bacteria by horizontal gene transfer.