The first report on the outbreak of OXA-24/40-like carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii in Turkey

Abstract

Carbapenem resistance due to OXA-type carbapenemases seriously limits therapeutic options in nosocomial infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii. Previous studies have shown the presence of OXA-51, OXA-58, and OXA-23 carbapenemases but not OXA-24/40 in A. baumannii in Turkey. In this study, we investigated carbapenem-hydrolyzing class D β-lactamases (CHDLs) in A. baumannii and the molecular epidemiology of CHDL producers at the Dokuz Eylul Hospital, Izmir Turkey, and detected blaOXA-24/40 in a clinical isolate from a patient in the medical intensive care unit (ICU). The specific enzyme type was OXA-72. Additional studies revealed 22 more isolates from 20 patients and that the OXA-72-producing strain caused an outbreak in the medical ICU from September 2012 to March 2013, which still continues. To our knowledge, this is the first report of OXA-24/40 carbapenemases in A. baumannii in Turkey. Emergency infection control should be implemented following the arrival of a new OXA at a hospital where A. baumannii is highly endemic.