Molecular Typing by Clonal Genetic Linkage among Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Isolated

Document Type : New and original researches in the field of Microbiology.

Authors

1 Diyala Health Director, Ministry of Health, Diyala, Iraq

2 Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Diyala, Iraq

Abstract

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative bacterium increasingly associated with both hospital-acquired and community-associated infections. A. baumannii has spread worldwide due to its strong resistance to many antibiotics. One of the key contributors to its resistance against β-lactam antibiotics is the production of β-lactamase enzymes. Objective: This study aimed to utilize multiplex-PCR technology and clonal lineage to determine the source of the outbreak's origin and the pathways through which A. baumannii isolates were transmitted from various hospitals in Diyala, Iraq.  Methodology: The study was conducted from September to November 2024. Out of 190 specimens, 46 isolates of A. baumannii were recovered. Identification of isolates was performed using both CHROM agar and the VITEK 2 compact system. Production of β-Lactamase, such as MBLs, ESBLs, and AmpC, was detected using the phenotypic method, and screening for persistence was employed using two main methods: the rapid killing method and the tolerant disc test. Genetically, three genes (ompA, csuE, and blaOXA-51-like) were the targets of two multiplex PCRs used to determine the isolates' lineages. Result: The phenotypic detection of β-Lactamase production indicated that out of 46 A. baumannii isolates, 16 (34.78%) tested positive for MBLs production, 4(8.69%) tested positive for producing ESBL enzymes, and 43 (93.47%) tested positive for producing AmpC. Therefore, screening for persistence was employed, and the results showed that the total number of isolates of A. baumannii that were positive for these tests was 3/46 (6.52%). The clonal lineage was determined using multiplex PCRs; the result showed 66.6% belonged to Group 1, and 8.33% to both Group 2 and Group 3. Conclusion: The study showed a high prevalence of the G1 (66.6%) isolates were the most often found clonal lineage, and G1 accounts for European clone II, which is resistant to a wide range of different antibiotics.

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