Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging pathogen which causes serious healthcare-associated infections, and less commonly, community-acquired infections, especially in tropical and subtropical climates. A description of the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with A. baumannii community-acquired infections, cared for a medical center located in Northern California, is presented. A total of 52 cases were identified, 11 (215) of which were community-acquired. Community-acquired A. baumannii infections caused a variety of serious clinical syndromes; most commonly wound infections, but also urinary tract infections, pneumonia and septic shock. Most cases were associated with comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus and alcoholism. Although multi-drug resistance was seen in 20% of healthcar e-associated infections, all of the community-acquired infections were caused by fully susceptible strains.
Highlights
Acinetobacter baumannii is a gram-negative coccobacillus which has emerged as an important cause of healthcare associated infections, and wound infections in military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan [1,2]
The mortality rate of community-acquired A. baumannii infections may be as high as 56%
In order to expand on the epidemiology of communityacquired A. baumannii infections in the United States, a detailed report is presented describing clinical characteristics and outcomes of cases seen at a medical center in Northern California
Summary
Acinetobacter baumannii is a gram-negative coccobacillus which has emerged as an important cause of healthcare associated infections, and wound infections in military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan [1,2]. Hospital-acquired infections are characterized by high mortality rates and multi-drug resistance. Most reports describe patients with comorbidities, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), renal failure and diabetes mellitus, a few studies describe fulminant A. baumanii infections, such as pneumonia and severe sepsis, in otherwise healthy individuals.
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