Outbreak of Bla-producing Acinetobacter Baumannii in South America

Thirty-five Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were recovered from two medical centres in Guayaquil City, Ecuador, from November 2012 to October 2013. Isolates were identified using MALDI-TOF and confirmed by rpoB. PCR methods were employed for epidemiological analysis.Thirty-three A. baumannii isolates were resistant to all β-lactams. The bla-like gene was detected in 30 isolates. DNA sequencing identified the bla-like amplicon as bla The 30 isolates harbouring bla strains showed the same PCR pattern. We report the first outbreak of blaproducing A. baumannii in South America. This is the first study carried out in the Republic of Ecuador.