Resumen
In 2019, five million deaths associated with antimicrobial resistance were reported by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Acinetobacter baumannii, a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen, is among the list of urgent threats. Previously, we reported 2-aminoimidazole (2-AI) adjuvants that potentiate macrolide activity against A. baumannii. In this study, we identify several of these adjuvants that sensitize A. baumannii to aminoglycoside antibiotics. Lead compounds 1 and 7 lower the tobramycin (TOB) minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against the TOB-resistant strain AB5075 from 128 µg/mL to 2 µg/mL at 30 µM. In addition, the lead compounds lower the TOB MIC against the TOB-susceptible strain AB19606 from 4 µg/mL to 1 µg/mL and 0.5 µg/mL, respectively, at 30 µM and 15 µM. The evolution of resistance to TOB and 1 in AB5075 revealed mutations in genes related to protein synthesis, the survival of bacteria under environmental stressors, bacteriophages, and proteins containing Ig-like domains.