Highly clonal carbapenem-resistant <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> isolates from a Peruvian hospital

<i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> is a critical pathogen known for causing severe infections in hospitalized patients and for its remarkable ability to develop resistance to multiple antibiotics, including last-line treatments such as carbapenems. In Latin America, data on the genetic background and spread of these resistant strains remain limited. Our study provides a detailed molecular and genomic characterization of extensively drug-resistant <i>A. baumannii</i> isolates collected from a Peruvian hospital during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. We identified a predominant clone belonging to international clone II, which carried multiple resistance genes and a complex resistance island. These findings raise public health concerns, as they highlight the silent spread of high-risk clones in regions with limited surveillance capacity. By contributing valuable local genomic data, our study supports global efforts to track antimicrobial resistance and underscores the urgent need to strengthen molecular monitoring of hospital-associated pathogens also in low- and middle-income countries.