Acetate modulates host physiology and bacterial energetics to improve antibiotic efficacy during obesity-associated infection.

Obesity-associated acetate depletion impairs antibiotic efficacy against Acinetobacter baumannii by reducing immune activation and increasing bacterial tolerance.

• Why it matters: Poor infection outcomes in obese patients occur despite pathogen susceptibility, highlighting the need to understand host-related factors influencing antibiotic success beyond bacterial genetics.
• What they did: Researchers compared diet-induced obese and healthy mice infected with A. baumannii, examining how gut microbiota-derived acetate affects immune responses and bacterial physiology, and tested acetate supplementation as a therapeutic strategy.
• The result: Acetate depletion was linked to impaired immune activation and increased bacterial tolerance to tobramycin, but oral and systemic acetate restored immune function, reprogrammed bacterial physiology, and improved antibiotic-mediated bacterial clearance.