Molecular analysis of drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates by ERIC-PCR

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important pathogen that associated with several hospital-acquired infections. It has the ability to colonize in hospital setting and infections due to A. baumannii can be transferred by direct or indirect contact between patients. Characterization of the local molecular epidemiology is required for control the spread of these strains. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the genetic relatedness amongst drug-resistant A. baumannii strains. A total of 92 A. baumannii isolates were obtained from hospitalized patients. Identification of isolates was done by the standard microbiological and molecular methods. To determine the genetic relationship amongst the isolates, ERIC-PCR was performed using specific primers. ERIC patterns were analyzed using GelJ software. Isolates with a similarity coefficient equal or above 85% were classified into the same genotypes. ERIC-PCR typing showed that 75 isolates were classified into 20 ERIC types. Seventeen isolates were non-typable. Most prevalent types were A, B and C which containing 15, 10, 9 isolates, respectively. According to our results, 64 (69.5%) isolates were classified into nine main genotypes. The most heterogeneity amongst the isolates was associated to respiratory infections and ICU ward. Our results showed that the evaluated isolates were heterogeneous, relatively. Based on colonization ability of A. baumannii strains in hospital, infection-prevention strategies such as education of healthcare workers and prudential use of antibiotics are necessary in the healthcare setting.