Interinstitutional and intrainstitutional transmission of a strain of Acinetobacter baumannii detected by molecular analysis:: Comparison of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction provided comparable strain discrimination with minor discordance in typing Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates from patients at our hospital and affiliated institutions. Typing revealed a cluster strain with intrainstitutional and interinstitutional spread during the study period. A long- term acute care facility may have been the reservoir.