An outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a COVID-19 dedicated hospital

We describe an outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) in a COVID-19 dedicated hospital. The suspected mechanism of transfer was an environmental source that persisted despite evacuation and terminal cleaning of the entire hospital, and transmitted through healthcare workers' hands or equipment. This outbreak demonstrates that practices to prevent the spread of multidrug-resistant organisms must not be neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Healthcare Infection Society. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study describes an outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) in a COVID-19 dedicated hospital, with the suspected mechanism of transfer being an environmental source that persisted despite evacuation and terminal cleaning, transmitted through healthcare workers' hands or equipment. This outbreak highlights the importance of not neglecting practices to prevent the spread of multidrug-resistant organisms during the COVID-19 pandemic.