Article révisé par les pairs
Résumé : During a PCR-based surveillance study of β-lactam resistance, 125 multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were obtained from 18 hospitals in Belgium from January 2008 to December 2009. Nine GES-positive A. baumannii isolates were detected at 6 Belgian hospitals. DNA sequencing of the blaGES genes identified GES-11, GES-12, and a novel variant GES-14, which differs from GES-11 by a single amino acid substitution (Gly170Ser). All index isolates were travel associated and originated from patients transferred from Turkey (n = 2), Egypt (n = 2), and Palestinian territories (Gaza) (n = 2). A nosocomial outbreak involving three additional patients occurred in a burn unit at a single hospital. No clonal relatedness could be established between the 6 index isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis. Three different alleles (the plasmid-located blaGES-11 and bla GES-12 and a likely chromosomally located novel variant bla GES-14) were detected as part of a class 1 integron, also including the aac6′Ib and dfrA7 genes. Restriction analysis of plasmids suggests a common origin for the plasmids bearing blaGES-11 and bla GES-12. Cloning of the blaGES genes in Escherichia coli identified GES-14 as hydrolyzing imipenem, while GES-12 showed the highest specific activity against ceftazidime. This report highlights the emergence of various blaGES-like genes, especially those conferring carbapenem resistance in A. baumannii and its importation in Western Europe from Middle Eastern countries. Copyright © 2010, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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