Chapter 20 – Acinetobacter Infections

In the last decades, infections by Acinetobacter baumannii represent a concern for clinicians and public health professionals, due to its multidrug resistance, its spread in the hospital setting worldwide, in both an endemic and epidemic manner, and its high morbidity and mortality rates. The most common way of transmission of A. baumannii is contact, mainly from the hands of hospital staff; however, the bacteria can spread through the air over short distances in water droplets and can be found in skin scales from colonized patients. Moreover, the hospital environment is as a reservoir for A. baumannii as this pathogen can survive in the environment for extended periods because of its innate resistance to desiccation. For multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, treatment represents a challenge for the limited number of options, which include colistin, tygecicline, and aminoglycosides. However, reports of panresistant strains are increasing over time worldwide.