Transferable antibiotic resistance in multiresistant nosocomial Acinetobacter baumannii strains from seven clinics Slovak and Czech Republics

Sixty-seven multiresistant nosocomial Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from patients hospitalized mostly in intensive care units of seven clinics in S lovak and Czech Republic were tested to determine their ability to transfer antibiotic resistance. All isolates were resistant to kanamycin, ticarcill in, cephalothin, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, aztreonam and susceptible to carb apenems, sulbactam and ampicillin/sulbactam. Sixty-five out of 67 strains t ransferred resistance determinants to Escherichia coli K-12 and Proteus mir abilis P-38 recipients. Analysis of selected transconjugants by an indirect selection method showed a more variable pattern of transferred resistance determinants, The clonal spread of strains transferring resistance seems to be an additional risk for occurrence of strains resistant to ceftazidime a nd aztreonam.