Clonal dissemination of two clusters of Acinetobacter baumannii producing OXA-23 or OXA-58 in Rome, Italy

Abstract

Thirty consecutive Acinetobacter baumannii isolates producing carbapenem-hydrolysing oxacillinases, OXA-23 or OXA-58, were recovered from patients hospitalized in Rome, Italy, between January and November 2007. Among these isolates, two clones not associated with the European clones I or II were observed. The oxacillinase-encoding genes were plasmid- or chromosome-borne. This study reports the dissemination of carbapenem-resistant A..baumannii belonging to two clones among several units in a single hospital and emphasizes the ability of A..baumannii to cause epidemic/endemic outbreaks and also to acquire various resistance genes circulating in the hospital environment. © 2009 The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.