Prevalence of carbapenem non-susceptible multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in Madinah, Saudi Arabia

Alqurashi, Abdulmajeed; Alraddadi, Faisal; Albasri, Hibah; Waznah, Moayad; Alraddadi, Mohammed; Alharbi, Daham; ALKRAIEM, FAHD; Alorfi, Ahmed; Hazrin-Chong, Nur Hazlin; Al Kraiem, Ayman Ahmad

doi:10.21608/mid.2025.347184.2411

Prevalence of carbapenem non-susceptible multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in Madinah, Saudi Arabia

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Biology, College of Science, Taibah University, Saudi Arabia

² King Salman bin Abdulaziz Medical City, Medinah 42319, Saudi Arabia

³ Hail Health Cluster, Ministry of Health, Hail 55422، Saudi Arabia

⁴ Ministry of Health Branch, infection prevention and control department, Medinah 42351, Saudi Arabia

⁵ Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia.

10.21608/mid.2025.347184.2411

Abstract

Background: Saudi Arabia hosts millions of tourists yearly in Hajj pilgrimage, particularly in Makkah and Madinah, which serves as a global center for the exchange of microorganisms. An international hub for the interchange of germs is provided by the population and the yearly Hajj pilgrimage, which brings millions of tourists, particularly to Makkah and Madinah. Understanding the prevalence and therapeutic significance of multidrug-resistant organisms in this nation is rather of common interest. Acinetobacter baumannii, particularly carbapenem non-susceptible multidrug-resistant (CRAB) strains, represents a global health threat. Methods: Our study investigated the prevalence of CRAB strains in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. 305 confirmed A. baumannii isolates were collected from King Salman bin Abdulaziz Medical City. These pathogens were isolated from different specimen types which includes stool, urine, sputum, swabs, and others. The isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the Vitek-2 automated system for bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing, based on Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Our study focused on 25 antibiotics representing 11 classes that include penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems, and others. Results: Out of the 305 confirmed A. baumannii isolates, 288 (94.4 %) exhibited resistance to multiple antibiotics, with 127 (41.6 %) classified as extensively drug-resistant (XDR) and 269 (88.2 %) as multidrug-resistant (MDR). Some of these isolates are CRAB strains. Conclusion: Our study showed that the importance of understanding local resistance patterns of CRAB and MDR A. baumannii in Madinah.

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