ABSTRACT
Acinetobacter baumannii
is an opportunistic pathogen that is an important source of nosocomial infections. Production of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) of the GES type in
A. baumannii
has been increasingly reported, and some of these GES-type enzymes possess some carbapenemase activity. Our aim was to analyze the resistance determinants and the clonal relationships of carbapenem-nonsusceptible
A. baumannii
clinical isolates recovered from hospitals in Kuwait. A total of 63 isolates were analyzed, and all were found to be positive for
bla
GES
-type genes. One isolate harbored the
bla
GES-14
gene encoding an ESBL with significant carbapenemase activity, whereas the other isolates harbored the
bla
GES-11
ESBL gene. Thirty-three isolates coharbored the
bla
OXA-23
and
bla
GES-11
genes. Analyses of the genetic locations indicated that the
bla
GES-11/-14
genes were plasmid located. It is noteworthy that the
bla
OXA-23
and
bla
GES-11
genes were colocated onto a single plasmid. Nine different pulsotypes were observed among the 63 isolates. This study showed the emergence of GES-type ESBLs in
A. baumannii
in Kuwait, further suggesting that the Middle East region might be a reservoir for carbapenemase-producing
A. baumannii
.
