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oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/1366972026-05-13T23:47:09Zcom_20.500.14352_14col_20.500.14352_15

00925njm 22002777a 4500 dc Wilharm, Gottfried author Skiebe, Evelyn author Michalska, Andżelina author Higgins, Paul G. author Weber, Kristin author Schaudinn, Christoph author Neugebauer, Christof author Görlitz, Katharina author Meimers, Gideon author Rizova, Yana author Blaschke, Ulrike author Heider, Christine author Cuny, Christiane author Drewes, Stephan author Heuser, Elisa author Jeske, Kathrin author Jacob, Jens author Ulrich, Rainer G. author Bocheński, Marcin author Kasprzak, Mariusz author Burda, Ewa author Ciepliński, Mateusz author Kaługa, Ireneusz author Jankowiak, Łukasz author Aguirre De Miguel, José Ignacio author López García, Alejandro author Höfle, Ursula author Jagiello, Zuzanna author Tobółka, Marcin author Janic, Bartosz author Zieliński, Piotr author Kamiński, Maciej author Frisch, Johannes author Siekiera, Joachim author Wendel, Andreas F. author Brauner, Paul author Jäckel, Udo author Kaatz, Michael author Müller, Stefanie author Lübke-Becker, Antina author Wieler, Lothar H. author von Wachsmann, Johanna author Thrukonda, Lakshmipriya author Helal, Mustafa author Epping, Lennard author Wolf, Silver A. author Semmler, Torsten author Jerzak, Leszek author 2026-03-10 Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative nosocomial pathogen that is notorious for its rapid development of antibiotic resistance. However, its ecology and evolution outside hospital settings remain poorly defined. Here, we demonstrate that the natural lifestyle of A. baumannii includes soil-dwelling and airborne dissemination, which helps explaining its adaptability and tolerance to desiccation, radiation and antibiotics, and thus its predisposition to establish within hospitals. Starting from white stork nestlings previously discovered as a reservoir, we studied food chains and associated environments and identified soil and decaying plants as habitats. We demonstrate that sterilized plant material is rapidly colonized by airborne A. baumannii. A set of 401 genomes were sequenced and compared to publicly available genomes, revealing numerous links between wildlife isolates and hospital strains, and disclosing intercontinental dispersal. Our pan-genome estimate of the species (~51,000 gene families) more than doubles that of previous studies. Our data further suggest massive radiation of the species early after its emergence, possibly fostered by human activity since the Neolithic. Now, it is possible to study the ecology and evolution of A. baumannii in nature at an unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution and to elucidate the adaptive evolution of environmental bacteria towards multidrug-resistant opportunistic pathogens. Wilharm, G., Skiebe, E., Michalska, A., Higgins, P. G., Weber, K., Schaudinn, C., Neugebauer, C., Görlitz, K., Meimers, G., Rizova, Y., Blaschke, U., Heider, C., Cuny, C., Drewes, S., Heuser, E., Jeske, K., Jacob, J., Ulrich, R. G., Bocheński, M., et al. (2026). Acinetobacter baumannii’s lifestyle includes soil-dwelling colonization of decaying plant material and airborne spread. Nature Communications , 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/S41467-026-70072-4 2041-1723 10.1038/s41467-026-70072-4 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/136697 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70072-4 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-70072-4 Acinetobacter baumannii’s lifestyle includes soil-dwelling colonization of decaying plant material and airborne spread