Phylogenetic Analysis of Acinetobacter baumannii Isolated from Veterinary Necessities

Acinetobacter baumannii can be isolated from different animal species, and ‎because of its highly pathogenicity, control measures should be taken to lessen ‎the animal sources and decrease the spread of this pathogen to the public. The ‎present study aimed to evaluate the phylogenetic status of this pathogen ‎isolated from different veterinary sectors using the 16S rRNA gene so as to ‎determine the extent of genetic relatedness of this bacterium between these ‎sectors. Eight strains of A. baumannii were previously isolated from different ‎veterinary necessities (slaughter houses, private veterinary clinics, and public ‎veterinary centers). The isolates were confirmed at the species level through ‎PCR amplification of 16S–23S ribosomal DNA using real-time PCR. The ‎phylogenetic tree was constructed utilizing the sequences of the 16S rRNA gene ‎for these strains and for A. baumannii from the gene bank. The data showed ‎that all isolates were genetically similar, and the genetic similarity of the ‎current study isolates was closely related to those from different countries ‎including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Brazil, UK, Spain, Iran, and Iraq. The present ‎data suggest that A. baumannii from this study could have come from those ‎countries during the course of animal importation, in addition, there was a ‎cross-transmission of these strains between various veterinary sectors. This ‎will recommend good hygiene practices to minimize the risk of bacterial ‎transmission between different veterinary sectors.‎