HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS CAUSED BY ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS, ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE, AND TREATMENT OUTCOMES

Multidrug - resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is a major healthcare acquired pathogen causing serious infections. They have developed multi drug resistance which makes it difficult to diagnose and treat. This systematic review aimed to gather evidence from literature to understand more about healthca re acquired infections caused by A. baumannii . This included understanding the clinical manifestations, demographics, antimicrobial resistance, risk factors, treatment and effectiveness of treatment given. Relevant research articles and case reports on healthcare acquired infections caused by A. baumannii were searched. Data was collected relating to patient demographics, country of origin, main infection, manifestation, antimicrobial resistance, treatment received, effectiveness of treatment, outcomes and risk factors. Patients of varying ages and from va rious countries were included in the studies. Both genders were infected with pneumonia, meningitis, ventriculitis, bloodstream infections, wound infections and sepsis. Many of the cases involved critically ill patients, admission to intensive care, invasi ve procedures, ventilation, trauma and co - morbidities. There was a high level of antimicrobial resistance as many of the infections were carbapenem resistant, multi drug resistant and pan drug resistant. Treatments varied depending on the infection and ant imicrobial resistance. This included polymyxin B, colistin, cefiderocol, Tigecycline, Eravacycline and combination treatments. In several cases intraventricular/intrathecal colistin had clinical benefit for resistant central nervous system infections. The effectiveness of treatment varied. Some patients had good clinical improvement and negative cultures, but one patient failed treatment and died due to severe bloodstream infection and sepsis. A successful infection control strategy was used to contain an o utbreak of carbapenem resistant A. baumannii in ICU. This included isolating patients, good hand hygiene, PPE, cleaning of environment, staff education and monitoring. Overall healthcare acquired infections caused by A. baumannii can be a serious issue. This is due to the variety of presentations and high levels of antimicrobial resistance. Early and accurate diagnosis, treatment based on antimicrobial susceptibilities and appropriate combination treatment if needed is important. Improving monitoring and early intervention may reduce the spread of infection, treatment failure and negative outcomes.