ERIC-PCR Genotyping and Clonal Genetic linkage Between Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Isolates

Abstract

Acinetobacter baumannii is a nosocomial bacterium that has become a global issue due to high levels of resistance to various antibiotics, notably last-resort treatments like carbapenems. The goal of this study was to use Clonal lineage and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic concensus - polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) finger-printing techniques to determine the source of the epidemic and the routes of A. baumannii isolates transmission. Sputum, blood, urine, burn wounds, and fluids from patients hospitalized to several hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq yielded 75 A. baumannii isolates. Morphological testing and PCR with blaOXA-51 gene primers were used to identify A. baumannii isolates. The phenotypic results for A. baumannii isolate discovery were verified (100%) by molecular analysis. Twenty-nine A. baumannii isolates were categorized as multidrug-resistant (MDR), 36 as XDR, and eight as pan-drug resistant (PDR), whereas two isolates were responsive to most antibiotics. The lineages of the isolates were determined, with 8 belonging to group one, 6 to group two, and none to group three. 45 carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) strains were grouped into six groups using ERIC-PCR fingerprinting genotyping analysis (selected only the 45 isolates resistant to carbapenem). The other seven strains were single strains. A significant level of genetic similarity was found amongst A. baumannii isolates from hospitalized patients, implying cross-transmission. The most likely explanation of the rise in A. baumannii occurrences in Baghdad patients was the spread of six epidemic clones, highlighting the importance of the study. To avoid nosocomial Acinetobacter baumannii spread, enhanced infection control methods are required. The findings further suggest that ERICPCR is a quick and accurate method for determining the clonal similarities of A. baumannii isolates from a variety of clinical samples.