Abstract

Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most important opportunistic bacterial pathogens that cause serious health care associated complications in hospitalized patients. This leads to prolong hospital stay which increase cost to both healthcare provider and family of the patients. The study aimed at molecular characterisation of A. baumannii from patients with prolonged hospital stays in three tertiary hospitals of Kano Metropolis, Northwestern Nigeria. A total of 401 samples were collected from orthopedic and post-surgical wound infections, urine, urine catheters and nasal intubation. Acinetobacter spp was isolated using standard microbiological methods. Identification of A. baumannii isolates were done using Phynotypic methods such as culture on Leed Acinetobacter medium, conventional biochemical tests and API 20NE. Suspect Acinetobacter species were further identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger sequence typing methods. Out of 401 samples collected 138 (34.4%) were positives by yield suspect bacterial isolates 14 (10.1%) of which were suspect A. baumannii. The results of confirmatory sequence typing of isolates showed that 9 (6.5%) of suspect Acinetobacter spp were A. baumannii. The result of susceptibility test showed that A. baumannii isolates were highly resistance to Ampicillin\ salbactam 13 (92.8%) and least resistance to Ciprofloxacin 2 (14.3%) and Amikacin 3 (21.4). The results of this finding showed presence of A. baumannii species resistant to conventional antibiotics and associated with prolonged duration of patients admission in the three studied hospitals. There is need for improved sanitary working condition and proper patients management to reduce the spread of this health care associated infection agent.

Key words: Molecular, characterization, Acinetobacter baumannii, patients, prolonged hospitals, Kano, Northwestern Nigeria.