Molecular typing of Acinetobacter baumannii clinical strains by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR)

Abstract Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most important causes of nosocomial infections. Because of the prevalence and recurrence of infections associated with A. baumannii that occur in different regions of hospitals, such as the ICU ward, is important to find the source of the infection by different techniques including molecular methods. This study aimed to determine A. baumannii isolates by ERIC-PCR. In this cross-sectional study, 80 A. baumannii isolates were retrieved from patients admitted to ICU, CCU, and post CCU wards of Ghaem hospital, Karaj, Iran. After detecting the isolates by phenotypic methods, standard biochemical tests were first used to identify the isolates and then API 20NE System kits (Biomerieux, France). The final confirmation was done by tracking the blaOXA-51 gene through PCR. Then, isolates were typed by the ERIC-PCR technique. The gel electrophoresis image was then analyzed by GEL compareII software and the relating dendrogram was depicted. The dendrogram obtained from the results of the study showed that the isolates were divided into 14 clusters using ERIC-PCR method. The present study showed that the ERIC-PCR technique is a useful tool for studying the genetic diversity of A. baumannii isolates. Also, A. baumannii isolates were rotating between ICU, CCU, and post CCU of Ghaem hospital, Karaj, Iran. And also, no specific pattern was observed in the distribution of the isolates from one ward to another.