Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Abstract

Clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp. in Korea exhibit higher antimicrobial resistance rates than in foreign countries and frequently show multi-drug resistance. Approximately 67% (272/405) of Acinetobacter baumannii isolates collected from 19 hospitals in Korea in 2008 exhibited intermediate susceptibility or resistance to imipenem and/or meropenem. The most important mechanisms in acquiring carbapenem resistance in A. baumannii in Korea are production of OXA-23 and overproduction of OXA-51, while that in non-baumannii Acinetobacter is the production of metallo-β-lactamases. All the carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates were identified as clonal complex 92 and belonged to worldwide clone 2. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2012;15:1-8)