Genomic epidemiology reveals antibiotic resistance transfer and polyclonal dissemination of Acinetobacter baumannii in a Paraguayan hospital

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Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is a major nosocomial pathogen worldwide and, specifically, in Latin America. Genomic epidemiology has been instrumental in determining the transmission dynamics of A. baumannii in many countries of the world, yet some Latin American countries have conducted no genomic epidemiology studies. Here, we conduct the first genomic epidemiology study about this pathogen in Paraguay. We sequenced 43 isolates from a big tertiary hospital in Paraguay collected from different wards in 2021 and 2022. Our genomic epidemiology analyses, including almost 200 genomes and considering the main international clones (ICs), show that IC1, IC2, IC4, IC5 and IC7 were found in the hospital. We found novel genetic variation (3 novel Sequence Types as per the Oxford MLST scheme and one as per the Pasteur scheme) within IC7. Antibiotic susceptibility tests show that all but one of the Paraguayan isolates were resistant to carbapenems. Notably, 98% were classified as multidrug-resistant. We detected plasmids in almost all the Paraguayan isolates. Furthermore, we detected cases of recent horizontal transfer of important antibiotic-resistance genes between different ICs. On a general note, our findings highlight polyclonal spreading across different hospital wards and horizontal transfer of clinically relevant antibiotic-resistance genes among the different clones. On a more local note, this is the first genomic epidemiology study of A. baumannii in Paraguay and will be a reference point for future studies in the country and the region.
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