Gastrointestinal Colonization of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: What Is the Implication for Infection Control?

The epidemiology of patients with gastrointestinal colonization of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) has not been systematically analyzed. We aimed to analyze the incidence, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of patients with newly identified gastrointestinal colonization of CRAB in a healthcare region in Hong Kong, where a multi-pronged screening strategy for gastrointestinal colonization of CRAB, together with other multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), was conducted by collecting fecal specimens (rectal swab or stool) upon admission and during hospitalization. From 1 October 2015 to 31 December 2019, a total of 161,339 fecal specimens from 63,588 patients, 61,856 (97.3%) of whom were hospitalized patients, and 54,525 (88.1%) were screened upon admission, with 1309 positive for CRAB (2.4% prevalence). Among patients positive for CRAB in fecal specimens, 698 (53.3%) had newly detected gastrointestinal colonization of CRAB, giving an incidence of 10.03 per 10,000 patient admissions and constituting 2646 CRAB colonization days in the general wards. Excluding the 164 patients with co-colonization of other MDROs, 534 patients had gastrointestinal colonization with only CRAB, and 12.5% (67/534) developed symptomatic CRAB infections at a median of 61 days (range: 2 to 671 days), during prospective follow-up for 2 years. Compared with age- and sex-matched controls, patients being referred from residential care homes for the elderly, the presence of indwelling devices, use of beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors, carbapenems, and proton pump inhibitors in the preceding 6 months, and history of hospitalization in the past 6 months were significantly associated with gastrointestinal colonization with CRAB, as shown by multivariable analysis. Log-rank test showed that cases had significantly shorter survival duration than controls (p < 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratio of gastrointestinal colonization of CRAB was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.5–2.2; p < 0.001), as shown by Cox regression analysis. Whole-genome sequencing of eight patients with CRAB isolates in their blood cultures and rectal swabs during the same episode of hospitalization revealed ST-195 as the predominant type, as shown by multilocus sequencing type. Gastrointestinal colonization of CRAB poses a considerable challenge for infection prevention and control.