Genetic diversity and molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in hospitalized patients of the Iraqi Kurdistan region: Insights from ERIC-PCR

Many strains of Acinetobacter baumannii are multidrug-resistant (MDR) or carbapenem-resistant, which is very bad for public health. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and carbapenem-resistant strains of A. baumannii poses a serious threat to public health. Rapid identification and genotyping are crucial for controlling its spread in hospitals. There was a study that looked at the genetic diversity and molecular epidemiology of CRAB isolates from ICU patients in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. We collected a total of 283 clinical samples from hospitals. We tested susceptibility to 14 antibiotics using the VITEK 2 system. Carbapenem resistance genes (blaOXA-51, blaOXA-23, blaIMP, and blaNDM) were identified by PCR, and genetic relationships were analyzed using ERIC-PCR. Among 49 A. baumannii isolates, resistance to meropenem (77.6%) and imipenem (75.5%) was high, while colistin remained effective. MDR rates ranged from 55.1% to 79.6%, and XDR from 12.3% to 65.3%. We detected the blaOXA-51 and blaOXA-23 genes in 98% of isolates, while we found blaIMP and blaNDM in 67.4% and 24.5%, respectively. ERIC-PCR identified 11 clusters, with C6, C9, and C1 showing the highest resistance. While tigecycline and polymyxin remained effective in most clusters. A. baumannii isolates from the area showed a lot of genetic diversity and high resistance to carbapenem. The widespread presence of blaOXA and MBL genes highlights the urgent need for enhanced infection control measures.