NDM-1-producing Acinetobacter baumannii ST85 now in Turkey, including one isolate from a Syrian refugee

New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1 (NDM-1), an acquired class B carbapenennase, is a significant clinical threat owing to the extended hydrolysis of beta-lactams including carbapenems. Here, to the best of our knowledge we describe for the first time in Turkey two NDM-1-producing Acinetobacter baumannii isolates recovered from intensive care unit patients. The presence of bla(NDM-1) was detected by PCR and confirmed by sequencing. The clonal relationship was assessed by PFGE and multilocus sequence typing. Both isolates were positive for bla(NDM-1) and were attributed with the sequence type 85. One isolate was from a Syrian refugee, whereas the second was from a patient who had never travelled outside Turkey. Our findings confirmed that the rapid spread of NDM-1-producing Gram-negative organisms could become a major challenge for the treatment and control of healthcare-associated infections in our geographical area. They suggest also that NDM-1-producing strains and/or their genetic determinants are probably being imported from Syria to neighbouring countries.