Multidrug-resistant genes are associated with an 86-kb island in Acinetobacter baumannii.
A strain of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii that caused a 26% mortality rate in a French epidemic was characterized and compared with an antibiotic-susceptible strain of A. baumannii. The multiresistant strain carries many of its antibiotic-resistance genes on an 86-kb region, whereas the susceptible strain lacks these genes in a homologous region. Characterization of this multidrug-resistant A. baumannii strain highlights the limited options for current therapy and raises concerns for future treatment options in an era in which few novel antibiotics are being developed.
Roberts
Marilyn C
MC
Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. marilynr@u.washington.edu
D040981:Acinetobacter baumannii / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D016680:Genome, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D019216:Metals, Heavy