EVALUATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY AND CLONAL RELATIONSHIPS OF ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII ISOLATES PRODUCED FROM PATIENTS IN A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Objective: Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most important causes of hospital-acquired infections that cause increased mortality and morbidity in hospital settings and intensive care units. In this study, it was aimed to interpret the clonal relationships of A. baumannii isolates by evaluating them together with epidemiological data. Material and Method: A total of 179 A. baumannii isolates produced from various samples of inpatients in Intensive Care Units and different wards in Sivas Cumhuriyet University Application and Research Hospital between 2012-2018 were included in the study. Antimicrobial susceptibilities of A.baumannii isolates were obtained from the laboratory data analysis system. From these isolates, clonal relationships of 132 DNA samples, which were found to be suitable for quality and quantitation were evaluated by repetitive extragenic palindromic (rep-PCR) method. Results: As a result of the examination of clonal relations, 24 cluster belonging to A. baumannii were determined. Within the groups, cluster 8, cluster 15, and cluster 24 were identified as dominant groups. Intensive care units stand out as the most intensive services in clusters. Conclusion: In this study, it was established that A. baumannii clusteis continued to exist in our hospital within the specified years. Especially if precautions are not taken, it should be kept in mind that resistant epidemic clusters can remain in the hospital environment for long years and can he transported from patient to patient. Therefore, to prevent the spread of Acinetobacter infections in hospital settings, hospitals should have continuously updated surveillance programs, and infection control protocols should he strictly implemented and supervised.