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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Characterizing Multidrug Efflux Systems in Acinetobacter baumannii Using an Efflux-Deficient Bacterial Strain and a Single-Copy Gene Expression System
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Characterizing Multidrug Efflux Systems in Acinetobacter baumannii Using an Efflux-Deficient Bacterial Strain and a Single-Copy Gene Expression System

Published on: January 5, 2024

Outbreak of multiresistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a polyvalent intensive care unit: clinical, epidemiological

J Monterrubio-Villar1, C González-Velasco, S Valdezate-Ramos

  • 1Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Don Benito-Villanueva, Health Service of Extremadura, 06400, Don Benito, Badajoz, Spain. suso1@orangecorreo.es

European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases : Official Publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology
|July 30, 2009
PubMed

Insights

A multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MRAB) outbreak in an adult intensive care unit (ICU) was controlled by an infection control program. The study identified four related MRAB strains and found high mortality rates.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Critical Care Medicine
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MRAB) poses a significant threat in intensive care units (ICUs).
  • Outbreaks of MRAB require effective infection control strategies to prevent patient harm.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate an outbreak of MRAB in an adult polyvalent ICU.
  • To characterize the genetic relatedness of MRAB strains during the outbreak.
  • To identify factors associated with mortality and determine the effectiveness of control measures.

Main Methods:

  • Epidemiological surveillance of MRAB cases over 27 weeks.
  • Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to analyze genetic relatedness of 49 MRAB strains from 18 patients.
  • Clinical data collection, including APACHE II scores, to assess mortality risk.

Main Results:

  • Twenty-one patients were affected by MRAB, with strains resistant to most antibiotics except colistin and ampicillin/sulbactam.
  • PFGE identified four highly related types (1, 2, 3, 4), suggesting phased evolution from type 1.
  • High global mortality (62%) was observed, with higher APACHE II scores in non-survivors.

Conclusions:

  • The MRAB outbreak demonstrated significant patient morbidity and mortality.
  • Genetic analysis revealed a clonal spread with evidence of strain evolution.
  • An extensive infection control program was effective in controlling the outbreak.

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