Detection of the blaVIM-2 Gene in Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolates in Sudan

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Salma Mohamed, Zainab Ahmed, Tajalseer Mubarak, Sara Mohamed, Hassan Higazi, Sara Alil

 
International Journal of Biomedicine. 2022;12(4):636-639.
DOI: 10.21103/Article12(4)_OA21
Originally published December 5, 2022

Abstract: 

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii is a pleomorphic aerobic Gram-negative bacillus that is notorious for having multidrug resistance traits. Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is a global concern due to its ability to retain and disseminate resistance genes, which poses a threat to the spread of resistance among bacterial communities in hospital settings. The aim of our study was to evaluate the existence of the blaVIM-2 gene in carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates from Sudanese hospitals.
Methods and Results: Forty clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii were collected from June 2021 to April 2022. All isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii were identified via BioMérieux's Vitek-2 automated system (Marcy l'Étoile, France) and evaluated for phenotypic resistance to carbapenem, using imipenem and meropenem. The enzymatic mode of resistance was assessed by the Modified Hodge test (MHT). A real-time PCR was used to detect the presence of the blaVIM-2 gene.
Of 40 isolates, 32(80%) were resistant to imipenem, 4(10%) were moderately resistant, and 4(10%) were susceptible to imipenem; 24(60%) were resistant to meropenem, 10(25%) were moderately resistant, and 6(15%) were susceptible to meropenem. MHT was 70% positive with imipenem use and 55% positive with meropenem use. Real-time PCR revealed that only 30% of the samples were positive for the blaVIM-2 gene. All blaVIM-2-positive isolates were resistant to both imipenem and meropenem.
Conclusion: Resistance to carbapenem poses a serious threat, denying patients treatment options. It is essential to make continuous surveillance of these strains to prevent the development of resistant strains.

Keywords: 
carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumann • blaVIM-2 gene• carbapenemases
References: 

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Received September 5, 2022.
Accepted October 4, 2022.
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