Molecular characterisation of the first New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase 1-producing Acinetobacter baumannii from Tanzania

Background

We aimed to characterise the genetic determinants and context of two meropenem-resistant clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from children hospitalised with bloodstream infections in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Methods

Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by disc diffusion E-test and broth microdilution. Genomes were completed using a hybrid assembly of Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing reads and characterisation of the genetic context of resistance genes, multi-locus sequence types (STs) and phylogenetic analysis was determined bioinformatically.

Results

Twelve A. baumannii were isolated from 2226 blood cultures, two of which were meropenem-resistant. The two meropenem-resistant isolates, belonging to distinct STs, ST374 and ST239, were found to harbour bla_NDM-1, which was chromosomally located in isolate DT0544 and plasmid-located in isolate DT01139. The genetic environment of bla_NDM-1 shows the association of insertion sequence ISAba125 with bla_NDM-1 in both isolates. Both isolates also harboured genes conferring resistance to other β-lactams, aminoglycosides and cotrimoxazole.

Conclusions

This is the first report of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-producing isolates of A. baumannii from Tanzania. The genetic context of bla_NDM-1 provides further evidence of the importance of ISAba125 in the spread of bla_NDM-1 in A. baumannii. Local surveillance should be strengthened to keep clinicians updated on the incidence of these and other multidrug-resistant and difficult-to-treat bacteria.