Prevalence and Antibiogram Pattern of Acinetobacter baumannii from 2013 to 2023 in a Tertiary Care Hospital in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Acinetobacter baumannii is pathogen of global concern. It causes infection, especially among immunocompromised individuals in intensive care units, due to its ability to survive for long periods on hard surfaces and under a wide range of environmental conditions and become resistant to almost all the available antibiotics used in clinical practice. Objectives: This study aims to address the gap in A. baumannii surveillance in Saudi Arabia by tracking the prevalence, patterns, and trends of acquired A. baumannii resistance at a healthcare facility in the western part of Saudi Arabia over eleven years. Methods: The study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in the western region of Saudi Arabia, from January 2013 to December 2023. Results: Our data indicated that A. baumannii infections were predominantly observed in inpatients admitted to the hospital (96%) compared to those treated as outpatients in the emergency clinic (4%). The mean of annual A. baumannii infections isolated from inpatients is 503.3, whereas the mean for outpatients is 21, indicating a statistically significant difference with a p-value of <0.0001. The analysis of the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of A. baumannii demonstrated a variable levels of resistance to the evaluated antibiotics. The lowest resistance rate was for colistin. Conclusions: In conclusion, the incidence patterns of A. baumannii isolates peaked in 2013, then declined, and have recently shown an increase, underscoring the necessity for proactive interventions to curtail its dissemination, notwithstanding initial decreases in infection rates and resistance.