Evaluation of antibiotic resistance changes in Acinetobacter baumannii in the era of COVID-19 in Northern Iran

Golnar Rahimzadeh; Reza Valadan; Shaghayegh Rezai; Mohammad Khosravi; Laleh Vahedi Larijani; Somayeh Sheidaei; Ebrahim Nemati Hevelaee; Faezeh Sadat Movahedi; Raha Rezai; Mohammad Sadegh Rezai

doi:10.18502/ijm.v16i3.15762

Golnar Rahimzadeh Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Reza Valadan Department of Immunology and Molecular and Cell Biology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Shaghayegh Rezai Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Mohammad Khosravi Students Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Laleh Vahedi Larijani Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Somayeh Sheidaei Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Ebrahim Nemati Hevelaee Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Faezeh Sadat Movahedi Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Raha Rezai Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Mohammad Sadegh Rezai Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v16i3.15762

Keywords: COVID-19; Drug resistance; Acinetobacter baumannii; Healthcare associated infections; Multiplex polymerase chain reaction

Abstract

Background and Objectives: During the coronavirus pandemic, the overuse of antibiotics to reduce coinfections and mor- tality may be contributing to the rise of antimicrobial resistance. In this study, we aim to investigate the antibiotic resistance changes of Acinetobacter baumannii post-COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Iran.

Materials and Methods: The current study is a cross-sectional study. Between 2022 and 2023, 2190 clinical samples were collected from patients with healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) at four hospitals in Sari, which served as corona centers after the COVID-19 pandemic. Antimicrobial sensitivity was determined using standard broth macro-dilution, and resistance genes were detected using multiplex PCR.

Results: Based on the results co-amoxiclav had a resistance rate of 100%, while piperacillin/tazobactam showed the least resistance rate of 29.82%. In terms of GM MIC values, colistin was the most potent against multi-drug resistant isolates. The frequency of bla OXA-51 , ampC, aphA6, and bla NDM genes were 100%, 99.12%, 90.35%, and 69.30% respectively.

Conclusion: Our study revealed high multi-drug resistance rates. Piperacillin/tazobactam recommended for treating multi- drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections in Northern Iran.