Carbapenem-Hydrolyzing GES-Type Extended-Spectrum beta-Lactamase in Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii isolate AP was recovered from a bronchial lavage of a patient hospitalized in Paris, France. A. baumannii AP was resistant to all beta-lactams, including carbapenems, and produced the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) GES-14, which differs from GES-1 by two substitutions, Gly170Ser and Gly243Ala. Cloning of the bla(GES-14) gene followed by its expression in Escherichia coli showed that GES-14 compromised significantly the efficacy of all beta-lactams, including cephalosporins, aztreonam, and carbapenems. The carbapenemase activity of purified GES-14 was confirmed by kinetic studies. The bla(GES-14) gene was located into a class 1 integron structure and located onto a ca. 95-kb self-transferable plasmid. This study identified a very broad-spectrum beta-lactamase in A. baumannii.