Molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in New Caledonia

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CR-Ab) ranked third, with a frequency of 24.8%, among 202 strains of multidrug-resistant bacteria isolated from clinical samples in the main hospital of New Caledonia in 2004. All CR-Ab isolates were analysed by isoelectric focusing, conjugation, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and PCR for the presence of carbapenemase genes. Fifty CR-Ab isolates produced carbapenemase OXA-23. The isolates belonged to a single clone presenting several subtypes, suggesting an endemic situation. This study further illustrates the widespread prevalence of carbapenemase OXA-23-producing CR-Ab isolates in the South Pacific.