Integron detection in clinical multi-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii from lower respiratory tract specimens.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the occurrence and distribution of integron among Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from lower respiratory tract specimens and evaluate the integrons to the multi-drug resistantce.METHODS Drug resistance was detected by Kirby-Bauer test.The presence of integron gene was determined by polymerase chain reaction(PCR)with integron specific primer and examined by electrophoresis.Statistic significance for comparison of proportions was calculated by the chi-square test.RESULTS Seventy-six of 408 isolates were identified as being positive for integron gene,positive rate was 18.6%.The incidences in integronⅠ and Ⅱ genes were 16.9% and 1.7%,respectively.The resistance rate to 14 antibiotics in the group with integron was higher than that in the group without it(P0.05).However,imipenem and meropenem showed good antimicrobial activity among all the strains.CONCLUSIONS Integron harboring multi-drug resistance has been identified among A.baumannii strains.Integron has taken the important part in multi-drug resistance.The results stressed the need for surveillance of the integron content of nosocomial Enterobacteriaceae strains which may be critical to predict and prevent the spread of multi-drug resistant determinants.