Global emergence of Acinetobacter baumannii International Clone 12 predominantly found in the Middle East

Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> (CRAB) are of great concern, as mortality is high, and treatment options are very limited. Despite having among the highest rates reported worldwide, scarce genomic data are available on CRAB strains from the Middle East. Here, we report the global emergence of a novel International Clone (IC), designated IC12, based on the epidemiological, phenotypic and genome sequencing data (short reads and long reads) of a set of 60 <i>A</i>. <i>baumannii</i> isolates belonging to multilocus sequence type 158 (Pasteur scheme). IC12, prevailing in the Middle East since 2007, has also been found in Europe, Asia and South America. Alleles OXA-65 and ADC-117, coded by the <i>bla</i> <sub>OXA-51-like</sub> and <i>bla</i> <sub>ADC</sub> <i>A. baumannii</i>-intrinsic genes, respectively, were hallmarks shared by all the isolates. Plasmid pIC12-2 (80,000 bp), which carries a <i>repAci6</i> replication initiator (RP-T1) and a type IV conjugative transfer system, played a major role in the antimicrobial resistance profile of 54/60 of the IC12 isolates. This resistance was mediated by three mobile genetic elements, namely Tn<i>2008</i>, MITE<i>Ab-IC12</i> and Tn<i>aphA6</i>. All four Peruvian IC12 isolates lacked pIC12-2 and carried a different set of plasmids. Two of the Peruvian isolates carried a chromosomal resistance island of 79,396 bp long (designated IC12-RI) marked by the occurrence of <i>tet</i>(X3). The global spread of IC12 is worrying and calls for further studies on the virulence features and clinical impact of this clone.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Microbial Genomics
Published
2025-11-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.001572
Primary Topic
Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Global emergence of Acinetobacter baumannii International Clone 12 predominantly found in the Middle East

Louis‐Patrick Haraoui, Frank Hansen, Leena Al-Hassan, Monzer Hamzé et al.
Microbial Genomics
Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
article

Global emergence of Acinetobacter baumannii International Clone 12 predominantly found in the Middle East

Louis‐Patrick Haraoui, Frank Hansen, Leena Al-Hassan, Monzer Hamzé, Antoine Abou Fayad, Rémy A. Bonnin, Santiago Castillo‐Ramírez, Xavier Didelot, Nabil Karah, Anette M. Hammerum, Benjamin A. Evans, Simon Lévesque, Bernt Eric Uhlin, Sébastien Rodrigue, Rayane Rafei, Nancy Allard, Paul G. Higgins, Laurent Poirel, Nathan Faille, Frédéric Grenier
article en

Abstract

Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> (CRAB) are of great concern, as mortality is high, and treatment options are very limited. Despite having among the highest rates reported worldwide, scarce genomic data are available on CRAB strains from the Middle East. Here, we report the global emergence of a novel International Clone (IC), designated IC12, based on the epidemiological, phenotypic and genome sequencing data (short reads and long reads) of a set of 60 <i>A</i>. <i>baumannii</i> isolates belonging to multilocus sequence type 158 (Pasteur scheme). IC12, prevailing in the Middle East since 2007, has also been found in Europe, Asia and South America. Alleles OXA-65 and ADC-117, coded by the <i>bla</i> <sub>OXA-51-like</sub> and <i>bla</i> <sub>ADC</sub> <i>A. baumannii</i>-intrinsic genes, respectively, were hallmarks shared by all the isolates. Plasmid pIC12-2 (80,000 bp), which carries a <i>repAci6</i> replication initiator (RP-T1) and a type IV conjugative transfer system, played a major role in the antimicrobial resistance profile of 54/60 of the IC12 isolates. This resistance was mediated by three mobile genetic elements, namely Tn<i>2008</i>, MITE<i>Ab-IC12</i> and Tn<i>aphA6</i>. All four Peruvian IC12 isolates lacked pIC12-2 and carried a different set of plasmids. Two of the Peruvian isolates carried a chromosomal resistance island of 79,396 bp long (designated IC12-RI) marked by the occurrence of <i>tet</i>(X3). The global spread of IC12 is worrying and calls for further studies on the virulence features and clinical impact of this clone.

Microbial GenomicsVol. 11(11)
Brighton and Sussex Medical School (GB), Statens Serum Institut (DK), Université Paris-Sud (FR), Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CA), University of East Anglia (GB), Université de Sherbrooke (CA), University of Fribourg (CH), Lebanese University (LB), University of Cologne (DE), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CA), University of Warwick (GB), Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne (CA), German Center for Infection Research (DE), Centre Intégré de Santé et de Services Sociaux des Laurentides (CA), Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de Chaudière-Appalaches (CA), University Hospital Cologne (DE), Bicêtre Hospital (FR), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), Umeå University (SE), American University of Beirut (LB)
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Vetenskapsrådet, Umeå Universitet, Medicinska fakulteten, Umeå Universitet
Openalex Percentile: Top 68%
Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.