Molecular epidemiology of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from hospitals in Myanmar

Objective: The aim of this study was to clarify the genetic and epidemiological properties of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in medical settings in Myanmar. Methods: A total of 45 A. baumannii clinical isolates were obtained in medical settings in Myanmar. The whole genomes were sequenced by a next generation sequencer, and the phylogenetic tree was constructed from single nucleotide polymorphism concatemers. Multilocus sequence types were deduced and drug resistance genes were identified. Results: Thirty-eight MDR Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were obtained from seven hospitals in Myanmar. The majority of MDR A. baumannii isolates belonged to ST2. Of the 38 isolates, 5 harbored blaNDM-1, and 28 did armA or armA2 Conclusions: A. baumannii ST2 producing 16S rRNA methylase ArmA has been spreading in medical settings in Myanmar.