Abstract
Background: Acinetobacter baumannii is a pleomorphic aerobic Gram-negative bacillus that is notorious for having multidrug resistance traits. Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is a global concern due to its ability to retain and disseminate resistance genes, which poses a threat to the spread of resistance among bacterial communities in hospital settings. The aim of our study was to evaluate the existence of the bla(VIM-2) gene in carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates from Sudanese hospitals.
Methods and Results: Forty clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii were collected from June 2021 to April 2022. All isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii were identified via BioMerieux's Vitek-2 automated system (Marcy l'Etoile, France) and evaluated for phenotypic resistance to carbapenem, using imipenem and meropenem. The enzymatic mode of resistance was assessed by the modified Hodge test (MHT). A real-time PCR was used to detect the presence of the bla(VIM-2) gene.
Of 40 isolates, 32(80%) were resistant to imipenem, 4(10%) were moderately resistant, and 4(10%) were susceptible to imipenem; 24(60%) were resistant to meropenem, 10(25%) were moderately resistant, and 6(15%) were susceptible to meropenem. MHT was 70% positive with imipenem use and 55% positive with meropenem use. Real-time PCR revealed that only 30% of the samples were positive for the bla(VIM-2) gene. All bla(VIM-2)-positive isolates were resistant to both imipenem and meropenem.
Conclusion: Resistance to carbapenem poses a serious threat, denying patients treatment options. It is essential to make continuous surveillance of these strains to prevent the development of resistant strains.