Spread of a carbapenem- and colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii ST2 clonal strain causing outbreaks in two Sicilian hospitals

The dissemination of clonally related isolates of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii in two hospitals is described. Simultaneous resistance to colistin in more than half of the isolates is a problem for effective antibiotic treatment. Prior carbapenem and colistin consumption may have acted as triggering factors.