• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.129-139
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• 2000

Acinetobacter baumannii strains are emerging pathogens of the nosocomial infection with an increasing frequency in recent years. The therapeutic difficulty due to the wide spread of multiple resistant strains was major problem in A. baumannii infection. It seems likely that high frequency of A. baumannii infection will be increasing epidemiological importance in the future. However, the current limited understanding of the epidemiology of A. baumannii infections is caused by lack of a rapid and practical method for the molecular characterization of A. baumannii strains. This study was undertaken to determine molecular types and genetic similarity among A. baumannii strains isolated from four hospitals by RAPD analysis. Eighty-five strains, including 40 from Chunnam University Hospital, 27 from Dankook University Hospital, 15 from Yonsei University Hospital, and 3 from Seonam University Hospital, were classified into three molecular types. Molecular type II was the most common pattern and included 72 strains. All strains from Dankook University Hospital and 40 strains from Chunnam University Hospital belonged to molecular type I or II. A. baumannii strains form Yonsei University Hospital were very distant similarity values. The range of genetic similarity values among 85 strains of A. baumannii was 0.26 to 1.00. Although phenotypes including biotype and antimicrobial resistance pattern of A. baumannii strains were same or very similar to each other, their RAPD patterns were quite different. Typing with phenotypes was found to be less reliable than molecular typing by RAPD analysis. These results suggest that RAPD analysis provides rapid and simple typing method of A. baumannii strains for epidemiological studies. This work is the first epidemiological report of A. baumannii infections in Korea and it is hoped that results of this work may contribute to a better understanding of the clinical importance and epidemiology of A. baumannii strains.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.146-151
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• 2008

Purpose : Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is recognized to be the most difficult pathogen to control and treat in pediatric burn centers. We analyzed the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of A. baumannii in our pediatric burn intensive care unit during the past 7 years. Methods : We retrospectively evaluated 56 patients (105 samples) under the age 15 years and who were infected with A. baumannii between January 1999 and December 2005. Results : Fot the 56 patients, the ratio of males to females was 1.15:1 and the median age was 48.3 months. The sites of 105 isolates were wounds (65%), sputum (20%), blood (6 %), cutdown tips (5%), endo-tip tubes (2%) and urine (2%). A. baumannii presented yearround. The annual antimicrobial resistance rate increased and the multidrug resistant rate for two or more antibiotics was 93.33%. For 3 patients in whom resistance emerged, the interval period between the susceptible and resistant strains after antibiotic use was a mean of 10 days. The A. baumannii isolated from blood were all multi-drug resistant pathogens. Conclusion : Multidrug resistance of A. baumannii is increasing. Strict infection control guidelines and active surveillance are needed for the prevention and treatment of A. baumannii in hospitals.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2011

Purpose : Acinetobacter baumannii is an aerobic, gram negative coccobacillus. Due to its pathogenicity and ability to accumulate diverse mechanisms of resistance, the importance of this organism is increasing. Many reports have targeted adults, and studies of pediatric patients are limited. This study aims to investigate the current status of A. baumannii infection in children. Methods : From January 2001 to December 2008, 505 patients hospitalized with A. baumannii infection were enrolled. Admission records for underlying disease, duration of hospitalization, previous antibiotic use, location of admission, presence of ventilator care, and resistance to antibiotics were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Results : Hemato-oncological disease and neurological disease were 30.6% and 24.3% of all cases; therefore, these were the most common underlying diseases of patients with A. baumannii infection. Prevalence of A. baumannii infection was 78.1% in patients with previous antibiotic use, which was higher than that of the group not using previous antibiotic. And prevalence of multi-drug resistant and pan-drug resistant A. baumannii infection was 76.4% and 38.3% in patients with ICU care, 76.8% and 38.9% with ventilator care, and these were higher than the others. Rate of resistance to all groups of antibiotics showed a gradual increase to over 50% in 2008. Multi-drug resistant A. baumannii was 63.5% and pan-drug resistant A. baumannii was 48.2% of all cases. Conclusion : Prevalence of A. baumannii infection and resistance to antibacterial agents of A. baumannii is increasing. Adequate use of antibiotics and infection control should be emphasized in pediatric patients.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.100-109
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• 2018

The emergence and dissemination of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii isolates have been reported worldwide, with most of these possessing the ability to form biofilms. Biofilm formation is an important virulence factor associated with the resistance to disinfection and desiccation. This study examined the genetic basis of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms of biofilm-forming A. baumannii clinical isolates. Imaging and quantification of biofilms were performed by a crystal violet assay and 46 biofilm-forming A. baumannii isolates were selected. Subsequently, 16 isolates belonging to different clones were identified using REP-PCR, and detection of the antimicrobial determinants in the isolates was carried out. The 16 isolates included 9 non-MDR and 7 MDR isolates. The mean biomass $OD_{560}$ values of the non-MDR (0.96) and MDR (1.05) isolates differed but this difference was not significant. In this study, most biofilm-forming MDR A. baumannii isolates contained various antimicrobial resistance determinants ($bla_{OXA-23}$, armA, and mutations of gyrA and parC). On the other hand, most biofilm-forming non-MDR A. baumannii isolates did not contain antimicrobial resistance determinants. These results suggest that there is little correlation between the biofilm-forming ability and antimicrobial susceptibility in A. baumannii isolates. In addition, the emergence of MDR A. baumannii clinical isolates is generally caused by mutations of the genes associated with antimicrobial resistance and/or the acquisition of various antimicrobial resistance determinants.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.94-101
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• 2016

Acinetobacter species isolates are important opportunistic pathogens and commonly implicated in nosocomial infections. The therapeutic options for treatment of the bacterial infections are limited because the bacteria isolates are usually multidrug resistant (MDR). In the current study, we investigated various carbapenemase genes in 68 Acinetobacter species isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were tested using the disk diffusion method. Screening of carbapenemase genes was performed via multiplex PCR. In addition, PCR and DNA sequencing were used to identify the carbapenemase genes. Repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR (REP-PCR) was also performed to assess the clonality of isolates. In our study, A. baumannii isolates were highly resistant to all agents tested while all non-A. baumannii isolates were susceptible to all agents tested, with the exception of aztreonam and cefotaxime. All 51 A. baumannii isolates contained the $bla_{OXA-51}$ gene and 37 (72.5%) isolates also harbored the $bla_{OXA-23}$ gene. In addition, 39 MDR A. baumannii isolates were identified in our study and 37 isolates contained the $bla_{OXA-23}$ gene. The 37 MDR strains harboring $bla_{OXA-23}$ showed type I (n=22) or type II (n=15) banding patterns on their REP-PCR profiles. Our results suggest clonal relation and horizontal spreading of MDR A. baumannii isolates containing the $bla_{OXA-23}$ gene at the hospital located in Daejeon. Continuous investigation of antimicrobial resistant determinants and monitoring emergence and dissemination of MDR isolates is required to prevent and control infection and colonization of MDR A. baumannii isolates.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.263-267
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• 2022

The aim of this study was to determine whether the antibacterial activity of chitosan-modified Fe₃O₄ (CS@Fe₃O₄) nanomaterials against Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is mediated through changes in biofilm formation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. For this purpose, the broth dilution method was used to examine the effect of CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles on bacterial growth. The effects of CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles on biofilm formation were measured using a semi-quantitative crystal violet staining assay. In addition, a bacterial ROS detection kit was used to detect the production of ROS in bacteria. The results showed that CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles had a significant inhibitory effect on the colony growth and biofilm formation of drug-resistant A. baumannii (p < 0.05). The ROS stress assay revealed significantly higher ROS levels in A. baumannii subjected to CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle treatment than the control group (p < 0.05). Thus, we demonstrated for the first time that CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles had an inhibitory effect on A. baumannii in vitro, and that the antibacterial effect of CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles on drug-resistant A. baumannii was more significant than on drug-sensitive bacteria. Our findings suggest that the antibacterial mechanism of CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles is mediated through inhibition of biofilm formation in drug-resistant bacteria, as well as stimulation of A. baumannii to produce ROS. In summary, our data indicate that CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles could be used to treat infections caused by drug-resistant A. baumannii.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.75-79
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• 2008

86 clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii and 116 clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from clinical specimens were collected from a hospital in Daegu city area. We investigated the Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa isolated from sputum, urine, wound, blood, nasal swab, body fluid. The antimicrobial resistance of A. baumannii were shown 96% for piperacillin, carbenicillin 82%. cefotaxime 78%, ciprofloxacin 77%, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprime 76%, ceftazidime 75%, tobramycin 72%. For P. aeruginosa, the resistance of cefotaxime and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprime were 100%, carbenicillin 49%, piperacillin 47%, ticarcillin 45%, ticarcillin/ clavulanic acid 40%.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.431-437
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• 2018

Acinetobacter baumannii is categorized as a red alert pathogen that is increasingly associated with a high mortality rate in infected patients because of its resistance to extensive antibiotics. This study evaluated the antibacterial activities of some essential oils (tee tree, rosemary, and lavender oils) against 18 clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii (MRAB). The carbapenemase screening Hodge test showed that all 20 strains of A. baumannii were resistant to imipenem. The identification of multidrug-resistant microbes was carried out using the VITEK system. The antimicrobial activity of essential oils was tested by a disk diffusion method against MRAB. In the disk diffusion method, tea tree showed the largest increase in inhibition size compared to lavender oil, and rosemary had no antibacterial effect. These results proved the antimicrobial effect of multidrug resistance A. baumannii. Tee tree oil would be a useful alternative natural product for the treatment and prevention of most common human pathogens and MRAB infections. This is expected to be used as an antimicrobial agent, such as hand disinfectant using natural essential oil in the future.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.427-434
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• 2017

Species that belong to the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii (Acb) complex are major causes of hospital-acquired infections. They are important opportunistic pathogens. These species are usually multidrug resistant (MDR), and the therapeutic options to treat the infections caused by these species are limited. In the present study, we investigated fluoroquinolone resistance mechanisms in 53 ciprofloxacin resistant Acinetobacter species isolates in Chungcheong, Korea. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined using the disk-diffusion method. Detections of genes and identification of mutations associated with fluoroquinolone resistance were carried out using PCR and DNA sequencing. In our study, 47 out of 53 ciprofloxacin resistant Acinetobacter isolates harbored sense mutations at the 83rd residue (serine to leucine) in the gyrA gene as well as at the 80th residue (serine to leucine) in the parC gene. Among the 47 isolates harboring sense mutations in gyrA and parC gene, 44 isolates were A. baumannii and 3 isolates were A. pittii. Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants were detected in isolates in our study. Among the 46 ciprofloxacin resistant A. baumannii isolates, 41 showed type A, B, or F banding patterns on their REP-PCR profiles. This result suggests that clonal relation and horizontal spreading of the bacterial isolates have been around hospitals in Chungcheong area. To prevent colonization and disseminations of fluoroquinolone resistance Acb complex isolates, continuous investigation and monitoring of antimicrobial resistant determinants of MDR isolates are needed.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.21-25
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• 2013

Acinetobacter baumannii is an aerobic, gram-negative and glucose-non-fermenting bacterium, which has emerged as a serious opportunistic pathogen. Many clinical microbiology laboratories use the Vitek 2 system for the routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing process, including testing on A. baumannii isolates. However, in case of amikacin, it is now recommended to perform additional antimicrobial susceptibility testing for A. baumannii strains due to the relatively lower minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in the Vitek 2 system compared to conventional reference methods. In our study, we assessed MIC for amikacin susceptibility testing of A. baumannii isolates in the Vitek 2 system, the agar dilution, Etest, and disk diffusion method. We collected 40 gentamicin-resistant, A. baumannii strains (amikacin MIC by Vitek 2:${\leq}2{\mu}g/mL$, 2 isolates; $4{\mu}g/mL$, 34 isolates; $8{\mu}g/mL$, 4 isolates) from a University hospital and compared the Vitek 2 system to other reference methods for testing susceptibility to amikacin. The Vitek 2 system showed major errors in all of the 40 isolates, yielding a low MIC. The results of our study strongly suggested that the Vitek 2 system was not a reliable method to test the MICs of gentamicin; ranging from ${\geq}16{\mu}g/mL$ for amikacin susceptibility. Other tests, such as agar dilution, Etest, or disk diffusion methods, should be paralleled to determine the MIC of amikacin in A. baumannii.