Prevalence of class I, II and III integrons in the antibiotic-resistant isolates of A. baumannii detected from patients hospitalized in medical centers of Shahrekord

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic and gram-negative coccobacillus. This opportunistic pathogen infectivity, especially in the intensive care units of hospitals is extensive worldwide. Due to the incremental pattern of antibiotic resistance, this study was carried out to track the Class I, II and III integrons in Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from hospitalized cases in medical centers (Shahrekord, Iran).
In this cross-sectional study A. baumannii isolates (n=100) detected from hospitalized patients in various wards of hospitals and health centers of Shahrekord in first six months of 2015 and antibiotic resistance pattern were determined by disk diffusion method. The presence of genes coding class I, II and III integrons were investigated using M-PCR method.
Among the 100 A. baumannii studied isolates, the highest and the least resistance was seen for the of Cefepime (89%), Ciprofloxacin (95.4%) Ceftazidime (91.3%); and Chloramphenicol (3.7%) and Nitrofurantoin (2.9%) antibiotics, respectively. The frequency of Class I, II and III integrons was 100%, 44% and 3%, respectively.
The high incidence of integron classes among A. baumannii strains reflects the special roles of integrons in the acquisition pattern of multiple antibiotic resistance from isolates. Thus, providing the precautionary measures to prevent arbitrary use of antibiotics is suggested.