Open AccessIncrease of blaOXA-23-like in Acinetobacter baumannii at a tertiary care center in Lebanon between 2007 and 2013
Author(s) -
Souha S. Kanj,
Ralph Tayyar,
Marwa Shehab,
Bassam El Hafi,
Sari Rasheed,
Kohar Annie B. Kissoyan,
Zeina A. Kanafani,
Rima Hanna Wakim,
Nada Zahreddine,
George F. Araj,
Ghassan Dbaibo,
Ghassan M. Matar
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of infection in developing countries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.322
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 2036-6590
pISSN - 1972-2680
DOI - 10.3855/jidc.10100
Subject(s) - acinetobacter baumannii , biology , tertiary care , rapd , antimicrobial , drug resistance , microbiology and biotechnology , carbapenem , infection control , horizontal transmission , outbreak , medicine , antibiotics , genetics , virology , intensive care medicine , bacteria , emergency medicine , pseudomonas aeruginosa , environmental health , virus , population , genetic diversity
The multi-drug resistant nature of Acinetobacter baumannii isolates have rendered many broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents ineffective against them. The purpose of this retrospective study is to define and compare the molecular characteristics of A. baumannii isolates from patients at a tertiary care center in Lebanon from two outbreaks, the first in 2007-2008, as part of a case-controlled study involving A. baumannii cases admitted to the ICU, and the second in 2013.
Methodology: A total of 148 A. baumannii clinical isolates were collected from various clinical specimens during 2007-2008 and 2013. All A. baumannii isolates were screened for blaOXA-23-like and blaOXA-51-like genes of carbapenem resistance. Additionally, in an effort to assess the degree of the isolates’ genomic relatedness, random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was performed.
Results: There was an increase in the prevalence of blaOXA-23-like and blaOXA-51-like genes between the two time periods; however, only 22% isolate genomic relatedness was calculated between 2007-2008 and 2013. Taking 80% as a margin of compatibility, 31 distinct clusters containing 2 to 11 strains were observed when both time periods were analyzed.
Conclusion: The presence of numerous clusters accompanied by a predominant increase in the prevalence of blaOXA-23-like between 2007 and 2013 suggests a horizontal transmission of the gene within various strains of the species, contributing to the persistent increase in carbapenem resistance over the years. Therefore, infection control measures are required with compliance among all healthcare workers.