Fig. 4: Results of experimental study on toxicity and desiccation tolerance among ST208, ST191, and ST195 isolates.

Five isolates were randomly selected for each ST-KL combination to conduct experiments (Supplementary table 1). A. baumannii LAC-4, AB5075, and ATCC17978 were used as control strains. The results of the complement killing assay for different ST (a) and ST-KL (b) strains. The assay was triplicated, and the error bars represent standard deviations. Student’s t tests were used for pairwise group comparisons. The anti-complement killing ability of ST208 is greater than that of ST191 or ST195, but not significant (a, p > 0.05), and ST208-KL2 exhibits the strongest anti-complementary killing ability, but also not significant (b, p > 0.05). In vivo mouse infection model showing 72-h survival rates (c) and survival rates every 12 h (d) for different ST-KL combination strains. Five mice were injected with each strain. The error bars represent standard deviations (c). Student’s t-tests were used for pairwise group comparisons (c). The average survival rates of the mice infected with ST208-KL2, ST208-KL7, or ST191-KL9 were significantly lower than those infected with ST191-KL72 or ST195-KL3 (c, p < 0.05). Survival rates of different ST (e) and ST-KL (f) strains under 20% humidity. The assay was triplicated, and the error bars represent standard deviations. Student’s t tests were used for pairwise group comparisons. The desiccation tolerance of ST208 was significantly greater than that of ST191 or ST195 (e, p < 0.05), with ST208-KL2 exhibiting even greater desiccation tolerance (f). Source data are provided as a Source Data file. Notes: * indicates P < 0.05, ** indicates P < 0.01, *** indicates P < 0.001, **** indicates P < 0.0001.