Where are we and how far is there to go in the development of an Acinetobacter vaccine?

Ma, Crystal; Chen, Wangxue

INTRODUCTION Healthcare-associated infections caused by multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii are becoming alarming worldwide. However, the pipeline of new antibiotics is very limited. Vaccination is one of the most cost effective and promising strategies to prevent infections and can play an important role in combat multidrug resistance A. baumannii and prevent the development of new drug resistance. AREA COVERED This review gives an overview of the research and development of A. baumannii vaccines during the past five years (2015 - 2020), discusses the key progresses and current challenges of the field, and speculates on the future of A. baumannii vaccine development. EXPERT OPINION Moderate progresses have been made in the research and development of A. baumannii vaccine in the last five years, in particular in the areas of identification of new protein targets, development of multicomponent vaccines and use of vaccines and antibodies as adjuncts for antibiotics therapies. However, substantial scientific and logistic challenges, such as selection of lead vaccine candidates and formulation, vaccine clinical trials and targeted population, and financial incentives, remain. Thus, innovative strategies will be needed before an A. baumannii vaccine candidate can be brought into late stage of preclinical development in next five years.