Epidemiological Characteristics of Acinetobacter baumannii Infections at Phramongkutklao Hospital
Lawan Aimsaad MSc*, Pornphan Diraphat PhD**, Fuangfa Utrarachkij MSc**, Sudaluck Thunyaharn MSc***, Rudiwilai Samakoses MD****, Kanokrat Siripanichgon MD**
Affiliation : * Faculty of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand ** Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand *** Department of Clinical Pathology, Phramongkutklao Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand **** Department of Pediatrics, Phramongkutklao Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand
Objective : To describe epidemiological characteristics of Acinetobacter baumannii infections and identify
molecular patterns of A. baumannii isolated from the patients admitted in Phramongkutklao Hospital.
Material and Method: A retrospective study on previously isolated A. baumannii from the clinical specimens
submitted to the microbiology laboratory of Phramongkutklao Hospital from January to March 2008 were
carried out together with molecular typing using PCR-based method. Clinical data were obtained from IC
surveillance and patients’ records.
Results : 114 A. baumannii were isolated from 80 patients. A. baumannii was a cause of healthcare-associated
infection (90%, 72 of 80 cases), colonization (7.5%), and community-acquired infection (2.5%) with mortality
rate of 50%. Majority of the patients from which A. baumannii were isolated were male (58.8%), age over 60
years (56.3%), diagnosed with lower respiratory diseases (26.3%), had A. baumannii ventilator-associated
pneumonia (66.7%), and admitted in medical department (57.5%) with median length of hospital stay 35
days. PDR- and MDR- A. baumannii were accounted for 67.5% and 21.1%, respectively. All isolates showed
sensitive to tigecycline and colistin. Using PCR-based typing was able to distinguish 6 molecular types
among 114 A. baumannii isolates. Molecular type 2 was the most common type (47.4%) and widely spread in
14 wards. Spread of clonally related isolates was found in 14 cases admitted in 8 medical wards and ICUs.
Conclusion : Multiple clones of PDR- and MDR- A. baumannii were widely spread in the hospital. Clonally
related A. baumannii infected 14 cases in 8 wards.
Keywords : Acinetobacter baumannii, Epidemiology, Molecular typing
