Identification of OXA-23-producing Acinetobacter baumannii in Greece, 2010 to 2011

Abstract

We report on the sequence type and beta-lactamase content of 174 carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates recovered from clinical specimens during 2010 and 2011 in a tertiary care hospital in central Greece. Carbapenem resistance was associated mainly with carriage of the blaOXA-23 gene (in 72.4% of the isolates). To our knowledge, this is the first description of A. baumannii strains producing OXA-23 in Greece. During 2011, in our hospital they rapidly 'replaced' the previously predominant OXA-58- positive A. baumannii strains.