Molecular Epidemiology of Integron-Associated Antimicrobial Gene Cassettes in the Clinical Isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii from Northern Taiwan
Resource
Ann. Lab. Med., 33(4), 242-247
Journal
Annals of Laboratory Medicine
Pages
242
Date Issued
2013
Date
2013
Author(s)
Lin, Ming-Feng
Liou, Ming-Li
Tu, Chi-Chao
Yeh, Hui-Wen
Lan, Chung-Yu
Abstract
Background: The aims of this study were to understand the molecular epidemiology of integron-associated gene cassettes in Acinetobacter baumannii across four hospitals in northern Taiwan and to clarify the relationship between the presence of integrons and antibiotic-resistant phenotypes.
Methods: Sixty-five A. baumannii isolates, collected from the patients of four regional hospitals in northern Taiwan in 2009, were tested for the presence of integrons and their associated gene cassettes. The susceptibility difference between integron-positive and integron-negative A. baumannii strains was analyzed. Antibiotic-resistant phenotypes among A. baumannii with different types of gene cassette array combinations were also compared.
Results: Around 72% of the A. baumannii isolates carried class 1 integrase genes. Despite this, only three gene cassette arrays were found in the integrons. Integron-positive strains were significantly more resistant to all the tested antibiotics than the integrase-negative strains. All the four types of A. baumannii with different gene cassette array combinations were multidrug-resistant in nature. Gene cassette array aacA4-catB8-aadA1 existed in all the integron-positive A. baumannii isolates. Repetitive-sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) results revealed the prevalence of one major cluster of imipenem-resistant A. baumannii strains (84%) in the four regional hospitals.
Conclusions: The presence of integrons with associated antimicrobial resistance gene cassettes can be used as a representative marker of multidrug resistance in A. baumannii. Some prevalent gene cassette arrays may exist among epidemiologically unrelated A. baumannii strains.
Subjects
Acinetobacter baumannii
Integron
Antimicrobial
SDGs
Other Subjects
antiinfective agent; bacterial DNA; bacterial protein; imipenem; integrase; Acinetobacter baumannii; Acinetobacter infection; antibiotic resistance; article; drug effect; genetics; human; integron; isolation and purification; microbial sensitivity test; microbiology; multiplex polymerase chain reaction; Taiwan; Acinetobacter baumannii; Antimicrobial; Integron; Acinetobacter baumannii; Acinetobacter Infections; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Proteins; DNA, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Humans; Imipenem; Integrases; Integrons; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; Taiwan
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