Distribution of Some Antibiotic Resistance Genes Among Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Isolated From Patients Lying ICU in AL-Najaf /Iraq

Authors

Ghufran Rajab Taher, Department of Biology, Faculty of Education for Women, University of Kufa, Najaf, IraqFollow
Ahlam Kadhim Alyasseen, Department of Biology, Faculty of Education for Women, University of Kufa, Najaf, IraqFollow

Abstract

Acinetobacter baumannii is a significant nosocomial pathogen, affecting immunocompromised and critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs). The emergence of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) poses a threat due to its resistance to multiple antibiotics. This study investigates the prevalence of carbapenemase-encoding genes among CRAB isolates from ICU patients at AL-Sadder hospital/ Najaf. Eight sputum specimens were collected from ICU patients suspected of A. baumannii. The isolates were identified through morphological, biochemical tests and the Vitek 2 Compact system. Antibiotic sensitivity was determined by the Vitek 2 Compact system (using AST card). only 5 A. baumannii isolates have been identified and all isolates were resistant to most antibiotics and these isolates were detected as CRAB. minocycline and doxycycline showed the lowest resistance, while no resistance to colistin. Phenotypically, all isolates were MBL producers, while none of the isolates had the ability to produce carbapenemase. PCR results showed the prevalence of bla_OXA51-like (100%), followed by bla_OXA24-like (80%) and bla_NDM (40%) while bla_GES was detected in 20% of isolates. All CRAB isolates were lacking bla_KPC. Sixty percent of MBL producer CRAB were possessed both bla_OXA51like and bla_OXA24-like, while 20% of MBL producer CRAB possessed bla_OXA51-like, bla\textsubscriptGES, bla_NDM, and bla_OXA24-like, whereas other 20% isolates possessed bla_OXA51like and bla_NDM. The study highlights the high prevalence of carbapenemase genes among CRAB isolated from ICU patients. These findings underscore the need for effective infection control measures and novel treatment strategies to combat multi-drug resistant A. baumannii in ICU settings.

Keywords

Acinetobacter baumannii, Carbapenemase genes, Carbapenem-resistant, Metallo-β -lactamase, PCR

Subject Area

Biology

Article Type

Article

First Page

855

Last Page

863

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite this Article

Taher, Ghufran Rajab and Alyasseen, Ahlam Kadhim (2026) "Distribution of Some Antibiotic Resistance Genes Among Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Isolated From Patients Lying ICU in AL-Najaf /Iraq," Baghdad Science Journal: Vol. 23: Iss. 3, Article 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21123/2411-7986.5231