Identification of Acinetobacter baumannii Using rRNA gene sequencing technique
As carbapenem resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii continues to rise worldwide, >74% of clinical isolates are now resistant to carbapenemases. This pathogen has become a critical WHO priority and is associated with approximately 57,000 deaths per year; thus, the need for new antimicrobial agents is urgent. Here, we demonstrate that the ethanolic extract of Anagallis foemina Mill. has shown robust activity against MDR A. baumannii isolates from tertiary care hospitals. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the presence of 16 bioactive compounds. Agar well diffusion assays showed an inhibition zone value of 20.16±0.29 mm at a concentration of 15 mg/mL, which significantly surpassed that of imipenem (8 mm). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1.25 mg/ml coupled with a minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 2.5 mg/ml (MBC/MIC ratio = 2.0) showed potent bactericidal activity. Sub-MIC concentrations inhibited biofilm formation by >90%. Molecular docking showed strong binding between alpha-Terpinen-7-al (GlideScore: -5.5 kcal/mol) and gamma-Terpinen-7-al (-4.2 kcal/mol) to OXA-24 beta-lactam. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to confirm the stable protein-ligand complexes (RMSD<2.5 Å). Computational ADMET analysis revealed favorable drug-like properties, gastrointestinal absorption, and no toxicity risk. These findings suggest that A. foemina phytocompounds are potential candidates for developing novel antimicrobial agents against MDR isolates.