Genomic Investigation of Two Acinetobacter baumannii Outbreaks in a Veterinary Intensive Care Unit in The Netherlands

Abstract

Acinetobacter baumannii is a nosocomial pathogen that frequently causes healthcare-acquired infections. The global spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains with its ability to survive in the environment for extended periods imposes a pressing public health threat. Two MDR A. baumannii outbreaks occurred in 2012 and 2014 in a companion animal intensive care unit (caICU) in the Netherlands. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on dog clinical isolates (n = 6), environmental isolates (n = 5), and human reference strains (n = 3) to investigate if the isolates of the two outbreaks were related. All clinical isolates shared identical resistance phenotypes displaying multidrug resistance. Multi-locus Sequence Typing (MLST) revealed that all clinical isolates belonged to sequence type ST2. The core genome MLST (cgMLST) results confirmed that the isolates of the two outbreaks were not related. Comparative genome analysis showed that the outbreak isolates contained different gene contents, including mobile genetic elements associated with antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). The time-measured phylogenetic reconstruction revealed that the outbreak isolates diverged approximately 30 years before 2014. Our study shows the importance of WGS analyses combined with molecular clock investigations to reduce transmission of MDR A. baumannii infections in companion animal clinics.

International Clones of High Risk of Acinetobacter Baumannii—Definitions, History, Properties and Perspectives

“…Isolate typing is crucial for conducting epidemiological surveillance and investigating the spread of particular clones of interest, including ICs. The rapid development and dramatic cost reduction of WGS for bacteria in recent years have made genomic epidemiology a promising approach for pathogen population studies and outbreak investigation [ 20 , 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 ].…”

Evaluation of a direct phage DNA detection-based Taqman qPCR methodology for quantification of phage and its application in rapid ultrasensitive identification of Acinetobacter baumannii

“…Since safe and effective therapeutic options in carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections are severely limited, characterization of these isolates by phenotypic and molecular methods are important to provide information on the epidemiological characteristics of these pathogens [ 18 , 19 ]. The genome analysis shows that A. baumannii contain mobile genetic elements associated with antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), which lead to that A. baumannii can develop drug resistance to more antimicrobial agent [ 20 , 21 ]. Biofilm-forming capacity is also potent way for bacterial survival in the presence of antibiotics, which could increase the treatment difficulty of A. baumannii infection [ 22 – 24 ].…”

Phytochemical screening, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Douepia tortuosa Camb., a crucifer endemic to Pakistan

“…Pathogenic bacteria cause harmful infections and widespread problems such as abdominal and extra abdominal conditions in human beings (Sarowska et al, 2019). The Acinetobacter baumannii is reported to be a notorious microbe causing blood stream infection and pneumonia in human (Naing et al, 2022). The Klebsiella pneumoniae has been reported to cause infections of respiratory passages, gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract (Effah et al, 2020).…”