Acinetobacter Main Cause of Hospital Acquired Infections: A Review

Abstract

Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are mostly caused by Gram-negative organisms and is one of the major issues in patient safety. These infections are often associated with the medical processes of hospitals such as invasive medical devices and various surgical procedures. Gram-negative organisms account for most infections in the hospital environment because of their ability to acquire resistant against multiple antibiotics. Through different mechanisms including the synthesis of β-lactamases, overexpression of transmembrane efflux pump, loss of porins, synthesis of antibiotic modifying enzymes, target mutations, ribosomal mutation or modifications, mutations in lipopolysaccharide structure etc. these organisms have developed drug-resistant property and the genes encoded in plasmids play a vital role in developing the resistant. Among all Gram-negative bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging pathogen that accounts for about 80% of all reported infections. Although other species of Acinetobacter are also often associated with HAIs. Acinetobacter is non-motile, obligate aerobic Gram-negative coccobacillus and are ubiquitous free-living saprophytes in soil and water. It is commonly transmitted through medical devices such as ventilators, urinary catheters and other invasive devices in hospitals but its ability to colonize on the skin of individuals often increases the rate of transmission through person to person contact. Patients admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are at the major risk of getting infected by A. baumannii and these includes pneumonia/ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), bloodstream infections, wound abscesses, urinary tract infections etc.

Successful Treatment of Ventilator Associated Pneumonia Caused by Multidrug Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii With a Combination Therapy of Cse1034 and Colistin: A Case Report.

“…baumannii, a non-fermenting Gram-negative aerobic coccobacillus has emerged as an important cause of nosocomial infections particularly among immunocompromised, severely debilitated and in intensive care unit (ICU) patients [1,2]. The most common clinical condition associated with this microorganism is hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), particularly among patients receiving mechanical ventilator assistance [1].…”

“…Currently, carbapenems are considered as the last resort antibiotics for the treatment of various MDR bacterial infections in hospital settings. However, the excessive and inappropriate prescription of this drug in healthcare is changing the scenario and has led to global spread of carbapenem-resistance [2,3]. Even though carbapenems are still reported to retain a reasonable amount of activity against Enterobacteriaceae family, however a sharp rise in the rate of resistance to carbapenems in Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species has been reported worldwide [2,3].…”