Abstract
Incidence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is rising in several parts of the world. In Africa, data concerning this species and its resistance to carbapenems are limited. The objective of the present study was to identify the presence of A. baumannii carbapenem-resistant encoding genes in natural reservoirs in Senegal, where antibiotic pressure is believed to be low. From October 2010 to January 2011, 354 human head lice, 717 human fecal samples and 118 animal fecal samples were screened for the presence of A. baumannii by real time PCR targeting bla OXA51-like gene. For all samples positive for A. baumannii, the carbapenemase-hydrolysing oxacillinases blaOXA23-like and blaOXA24-like were searched for and sequenced, and the isolates harbouring an oxacillinase were genotyped using PCR amplification and sequencing of recA gene. The presence of A. baumannii was detected in 4.0% of the head lice, in 5.4% of the human stool samples and in 5.1% of the animal stool samples tested. No bla OXA24 gene was detected but six fecal samples and three lice were positive for bla OXA23-like gene. The bla OXA23-like gene isolated in lice was likely a new oxacillinase sequence. Finally, the A. baumannii detected in stools were all of recA genotype 3 and those detected in lice, of recA genotype 4. This study shows for the first time a reservoir of bla OXA23-like-positive gene in human head lice and stool samples in Senegal.
Highlights
Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative coccobacillus that has emerged over the last few decades as a cause of both healthcareassociated and community-acquired infections [1,2]
A. baumannii was detected by PCR targeting blaOXA51-like gene in 14 head lice (4.0%) collected from 6 women (4.0%)
We have shown that 4.0% of the head lice studied were positive for A. baumannii (14/354)
Summary
Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative coccobacillus that has emerged over the last few decades as a cause of both healthcareassociated and community-acquired infections [1,2]. This bacterium is an important nosocomial pathogen of critically ill patients that can cause a wide range of infections, including ventilatorassociated pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound infections and nosocomial meningitis [1,3,4]. While A. baumannii is isolated from patients and hospital environment sources during outbreaks, the reservoir outside hospitals is not well delineated. Antibiotic consumption has been pointed out as principal causative agent in acquisition of resistance genes [13]. This concept has been challenged since it has been discovered in 2011 a highly diverse collection of genes encoding resistance to beta-lactam, tetracycline and glycopeptide antibiotics in an authenticated ancient DNA from 30,000-year-old
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
