India, March 27 -- Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have made a significant discovery regarding how Acinetobacter baumannii, one of the most challenging drug-resistant pathogens known for causing persistent and chronic infections in hospitals, withstands meropenem, a last-resort antibiotic.

The research team is led by Prof. Ranjana Pathania and includes Arsalan Hussain, Timsy Bhando, Ananth Casius, and Rinki Gupta. The team found that persister cells of A. baumannii alter their membrane properties and energy metabolism, increasing their antibiotic tolerance, as informed by IIT Roorkee.

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Subsequently, researchers explored the potential...