Occurrence of Multidrug-Resistant Strains of Acinetobacter spp.: An Emerging Threat for Nosocomial-Borne Infection in Najran Region, KSA

Abstract

Multidrug-resistant strains are frequent causes of nosocomial infections. The majority of nosocomial infections, particularly in critical care units (ICU), have been linked to A. baumannii, which has major clinical significance. The current paper attempts to identify the potential risk and prognosis factors for acquiring an infection due to A. baumannii compared to that of other nosocomial bacteria. In our study, we employed antibiotics generally prescribed for the initial course of treatment such as colistin, meropenem, amikacin, trimethoprime-sulfamethoxazole, levofloxacin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and piperacillin-tazobactam. We found that the isolated A. baumannii were resistant at a high rate to meropenem, piperacillin–tazobactam, amikacin, levofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin, while they were partially susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Our study revealed that A. baumannii was most susceptible to gentamicin and colistin at 85.8% and 92.9%, respectively, whereas the combination of colistin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole was 100% active. The patients were the primary source of infection with A. baumannii, followed by inanimate objects present in the ICU and hospital premises, and then the hospital staff who were taking care of the ICU patients. Gentamicin and colistin were the most sensitive antibiotics; of the 13 tested in total, the rate of drug resistance was above 50%. The very high rate of antibiotic resistance is alarming.

Epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance trends of Acinetobacter species in the United Arab Emirates: a retrospective analysis of 12 years of national AMR surveillance data

“…Over the full duration of the study, the rates of resistance of Acinetobacter to all tested antibiotics did not increase beyond 50%. This is in contrast to a recent report from the Gulf region, where in KSA, a neighboring country, the rates of resistance to all antibiotic in A. baumannii was above 50%, except for gentamycin and colistin ( 28 ). Also, in Oman, the rates of A. baumannii resistance to different antibiotics ranged from 50 to 83% ( 64 ).…”

“…In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions, accumulating data indicate the prevalence of MDR Acinetobacter infections. For example, Aedh and Colleagues ( 28 ) recently demonstrated alarming levels of resistance among MDR Acinetobacter in Saudi ICUs, with gentamicin and colistin being the most sensitive antibiotics. The rate of resistance to antibiotics from β-lactam, fluoroquinolone, and aminoglycoside groups was above 50%, while only trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was active against 50% of the isolates.…”

International Clones of High Risk of Acinetobacter Baumannii—Definitions, History, Properties and Perspectives

“…A. baumannii exhibits an outstanding tendency to cause hospital outbreaks [ 15 , 16 ], which became an additional problem during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 17 ]. One of the reasons for this lies in its exceptional ability to survive for up to 60 days on various surfaces, including human skin and dry inanimate materials such as filter paper, glass, cotton, and metal, as well as on hospital surfaces [ 18 , 19 ], which underlies the necessity for accurate and reliable isolate typing in order to discriminate outbreak-causing strains.…”

Enzymatic Synthesis of a Novel Coumarin Aminophosphonates: Antibacterial Effects and Oxidative Stress Modulation on Selected E. coli Strains

“…The development and synthesis of new coumarin derivatives may constitute a new alternative to the commonly used antimicrobial agents in clinical infections (Figures 8 and 9). Thus, studies of the antibacterial activity of newly synthesized compounds are of great importance in nosocomial or clinical infections [66,67]. The toxic effect of the newly obtained compounds was tested on Escherichia coli cells of the K12 strain (having native LPS) and R2-R4 strains (with different LPS lengths).…”