摘要：We investigated an outbreak of Acinetobacter baumannii in the intensive care unit (ICU)
of a hospital in Rome, Italy. The outbreak involved 14 patients whose isolates were most frequently
recovered from bronchoalveolar lavage. All isolates were multidrug-resistant and showed diminished
susceptibility or resistance to carbapenems. A. baumannii strains with a similar antibiotic susceptibility
pattern were isolated from the environment. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis identified a single
clone from both the patients’ and environmental isolates. Because of the lack of a single source of
infection, the eradication of the epidemic required a broad approach, including contact isolation
and cohorting, aggressive environmental disinfection, and close monitoring of the ward staff’s performance.
Infected patients were successfully treated with combined therapy. Although considered
of low virulence, A. baumannii can be particularly aggressive and difficult to treat in ICU patients.
关键词：Acinetobacter baumannii, outbreak, intensive care unit, multi-drug resistance
