NDM-2 carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii in the United Arab Emirates

Screening 155 carbapenem non-susceptible Acinetobacter baumannii strains recovered in Abu Dhabi hospitals identified two metallo-beta-lactamase blaNDM gene-carrying isolates. They were isolated 4 months apart from the urine of a cancer patient previously treated in Egypt, Lebanon and in the United Arab Emirates. They were clonally related and carried the blaNDM-2 gene recently identified in A.similar to baumannii in Egypt and Israel. Sequences surrounding the blaNDM-2 gene showed significant similarities with those associated with blaNDM-1 in Enterobacteriaceae and A.similar to baumannii. Repeated isolation of blaNDM-2-positive A.similar to baumannii in the Middle East raises the possibility of the local emergence and spread of a unique clone.