title: Identification of epidemic strains of Acinetobacter baumannii by integrase gene PCR.
abstract: Forty-eight clinical Acinetobacter isolates with different epidemic behavior were investigated for the presence of integrons and plasmids and for antibiotic susceptibility. Integrons were demonstrated in 50% of the strains by an integrase gene PCR. Epidemic strains of Acinetobacter baumannii were found to contain significantly more integrons than nonepidemic strains. Also, the presence of integrons was significantly correlated with simultaneous resistance to several antibiotics. Plasmids were detected in 42% of the strains. However, there was no significant correlation between the numbers of plasmids and integrons in Acinetobacter species strains, no significant difference in the number of plasmids between epidemic and nonepidemic A. baumannii strains, and no significant correlation between the presence of plasmids and antibiotic resistance. Hence, it is likely that integrons play an important role in antibiotic resistance and thereby in the epidemic behavior of A. baumannii. Because the integrase gene PCR identified almost three-quarters of the epidemic A. baumannii isolates (17 of 23), this seems to be a rapid and simple technique for the routine screening and identification of clinical A. baumannii isolates with epidemic potential.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital Vrije Universiteit, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Koeleman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stoof
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Van Der Bijl
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Vandenbroucke-Grauls
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Savelkoul
mesh_terms: D000150:Acinetobacter / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D000151:Acinetobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D019426:Integrases