Increasing frequency of class1 and 2 integrons in multidrug-Resistant clones of Acinetobacter baumannii reveals the need for continuous molecular surveillance?.

M.S.RAMIREZ; M.S.STIETZ; E. VILACOBA; P.JERIC; A.S.LIMANSKY; M CATALANO; D.CENTRÒN

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2011 p. 175 - 177

0924-8579

Acinetobacter baumannii is considered a serious threat in the hospital environment over the world. Some strains are resistant to almost all currently available antibacterial agents [1]. Class 1 and 2 integrons were previously found in this species [2-4] and prior reports of our laboratory revealed a high frequency of class 2 integrons (51%) comparing to the dispersion of class 1 integrons (22%) in clinical samples obtained from several hospitals from Buenos Aires City (Data not shown). Although epidemiology of integrons has not been studied worldwide in A. baumannii, a similar frequency of class 2 integrons was also found in isolates from Chile [2], while no class 2 integrons were found in 500 isolates from United Kingdom [5]. Concerning the epidemiology of class 1 integrons, the frequencies observed in different countries oscillates from 29% in isolates from Chile [2] reaching the 85% in isolates from Taiwan in non-epidemiologically related isolates [6].