Emergence of Extensively Resistant Acinetobacterbaumannii Isolated from Hospitalized patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Emergence of extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacterbaumannii (XDR-AB) is an alarming situation and a serious global concern. Aim: To determine the prevalence of XDR-AB in hospitalized patients. Methods: A total of 161 clinical isolates were collected from different sources (sputum blood, pus, and urine) aseptically. Blood and MacConkey culture media used aerobically at 37 degrees C for the isolation of microbial growth. Preliminary identification was done by morphological characteristics and isolates confirmation carried out using the Microscan Walkaway Plus system (Beckman Coulter, USA). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the various antibiotics determined by the Microscan Walkaway Plus system. Results:Of 161 isolates, 154 (95.6%) were A. baumannii, and 7 (4.3%) were A. lwoffii. The male to female ratio was 1.87: 1. Most of the A. baumannii (n=73) recovered from sputum samples followed by pus (n=34) and blood (n=16). Moreover, A. baumannii predominantly recovered from ICU (n=104) followed by OPD (n=13) and FMW (n=9). Antibiogram revealed that 100% A. baumannii were resistant to imipenem, followed by 90% to cephalosporins (cefotaxime, ceftazidime, and cefepime), and ciprofloxacin. However, most effective antibiotics were tetracycline (24.7%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (24.3%). Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of MDR and XDR A. baumanniipresent in hospitalized patients. This situation can lead to high mortality if it remains untreated. It is the need of the hour to take measures to overcome this emerging health care issue.