Investigation of <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> Activity in Vascular Surgery Units through Epidemiological Management Based on the Analysis of Antimicrobial Resistance, Biofilm Formation and Genotyping

• Main Authors: Anna Szczypta, Katarzyna Talaga-Ćwiertnia, Małgorzata Kielar, Paweł Krzyściak, Anna Gajewska, Mirosław Szura, Małgorzata Bulanda, Agnieszka Chmielarczyk
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-02-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i>; extensive drug resistance; ST2 clone; OXA-23; epidemiological investigation; hospital outbreak
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/4/1563

Background/Objectives: The genus <i>Acinetobacter</i> demonstrates resistance to antibiotics and has been shown to spread in the hospital environment causing epidemic outbreaks among hospitalized patients. The objectives of the present study was to investigate the antibiotic resistance, biofilm formation, and clonality among <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> strains. Materials and Methods: The study involved 6 (I Outbreak) and 3 (II Outbreak) <i>A. baumannii</i> strains isolated from patients hospitalized in vascular surgery unit. Results: All tested <i>A. baumannii</i> strains were extensively drug resistant (XDR) and all the isolates were carbapenem-resistant and among them, all carried the <i>bla</i>_OXA-51 gene, the <i>bla</i>_OXA-24 gene, as well as the <i>bla</i>_OXA-23 gene. All of the investigated strains had the ability to form a biofilm, but all of them produced less biofilm than the reference strain. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) showed that all strains belonged to the ST2 clone. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) divided the tested outbreak strains into two clones (A and B). Conclusion: This study shows a nosocomial spread of XDR <i>A. baumannii</i> ST2 having the <i>bla</i>_OXA-51 gene, the <i>bla</i>_OXA-24 gene, as well as the <i>bla</i>_OXA-23 gene, low biofilm formers, that was prevalent in the vascular surgery unit. To identify the current situation of vascular surgery departments targeted epidemiological investigation was needed. Effective implementation of infection control prevented the spread of the epidemic outbreaks.