Hs. Sader et al., USE OF MACRORESTRICTION ANALYSIS TO DEMONSTRATE INTERHOSPITAL SPREAD OF MULTIRESISTANT ACINETOBACTER-BAUMANNII IN SAO-PAULO, BRAZIL, Clinical infectious diseases, 23(3), 1996, pp. 631-634
We evaluated the spread of Acinetobacter baumannii strains among three
hospitals located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A total of 46 isolates, which
were typed by chromosomal DNA analysis with use of pulsed field gel e
lectrophoresis (PFGE), were tested for susceptibility to the fluoroqui
nolones, carbapenems, aminoglycosides (amikacin), cephalosporins, poly
myxin B, and ampicillin/sulbactam by means of the broth microdilution
method, disk diffusion, and the E-test. Isolates with an identical PFG
E pattern (pattern B) that were susceptible only to carbapenems, polym
yxin B, and ampicillin/sulbactam were recovered in all three hospitals
. In addition, isolates with PFGE pattern A that were susceptible only
to polymyxin B and ampicillin/sulbactam were recovered in hospitals 1
and 2. The results of our study strongly suggest the interhospital tr
ansmission of multiresistant epidemic strains of A. baumannii in Sao P
aulo. Once in the hospital, these strains can disseminate and cause ou
tbreaks with devastating consequences.