Molecular epidemiology of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from hospitals in Myanmar

Objective: The aim of this study was to clarify the genetic and epidemiological properties of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in medical settings in Myanmar. Methods: A total of 45 A. baumannii clinical isolates were obtained in medical settings in Myanmar. The whole genomes were sequenced by a next generation sequencer, and the phylogenetic tree was constructed from single nucleotide polymorphism concatemers. Multilocus sequence types were deduced and drug resistance genes were identified. Results: Thirty-eight MDR Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were obtained from seven hospitals in Myanmar. The majority of MDR A. baumannii isolates belonged to ST2. Of the 38 isolates, 5 harbored bla(NDM-1), and 28 did armA or armA2 Conclusions: A. baumannii ST2 producing 16S rRNA methylase ArmA has been spreading in medical settings in Myanmar. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.