Drug resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii, 2007 - 2009

Objective To identify the changing trends of the drug resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii (AB), isolated in Yueqing Peoples Hospital in Zhejiang from January 2007 to June 2009, against commonly used antibiotics, providing the basis for proper administration in clinical practice. Methods Each of the particular Gram-negative bacillus strains isolated in the hospital from January 2007 to June 2009 was identified using the BioMerieux ATB identification system. Susceptibility test was conducted to determine the resistance of AB to commonly used antibiotics ex vivo. Results Among 220 AB isolates, 85 were from the intensive care unit (ICU), and 85% from sputum specimens. The resistance rate to piperacillin increased to 66.7% from 19.5%, and those to cefotaxime, ceftazidime and cefepime increased to above 60% from about 10%. The resistance rate to cefuroxime reached 97.7% in 2008, and the result to imipenem increased to 56.1% from 5.2%. Increase in the resistance rates to aminoglycoside and quinolones was also noticed. Generally, ICU isolates had a resistance rate at least 30% higher than non-ICU strains. Conclusion The drug resistance rate of Acinetobacter baumannii was skyrocketing to multiple antibiotics. Therefore, it is essential to improve the health care conditions and septic awareness among medical workers, standardize antibiotic administration and enhance the resistance surveillance of AB isolates to curb the spread of resistant strains and to prevent nosocomial AB prevalence.