English abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of class I, II, and III
integrons among clinical Acinetobacter baumannii isolates collected from hospitalized
patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at two teaching hospitals
in Isfahan, Iran, from October 2015 to October 2016. A total of 147 non-duplicate
A. baumannii isolates were collected from clinical specimens and identified as
A. baumannii using standard microbiological methods and confirmed by genotyping.
Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using disc diffusion method, and
the presence of integron genes was performed using the polymerase chain
reaction. Results: Out of 147 confirmed A. baumannii isolates, 97.3% of isolates were
extensive drug-resistant (XDR) and 2.7% were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Class I and
II integrons were detected in 63.9% and 78.2% of the A. baumannii, respectively. Class
III integron was not detected in any of the isolates. Conclusion: Our results show a high
prevalence of classes I and II integrons which may play a key role in the acquisition of
MDR and XDR phenotype among A. baumannii isolates in our region. Therefore, use
of appropriate infection control in clinical settings and implementation of treatment
strategies is necessary for our hospitals.
