Acinetobacter baumannii (CRE)

This is a strain of the bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii that has become resistant to carbapenem antibiotics, a group of drugs normally used as a last-resort treatment, making infections much harder to treat, particularly in hospital settings.

These infections typically occur in hospitalised or critically ill patients, especially those on ventilators or with invasive lines, and spread via contaminated equipment, surfaces, or hands in healthcare environments, often linked to prior antibiotic overuse.

Symptoms depend on the site of infection and can include pneumonia with fever and breathlessness, bloodstream infection causing sepsis, or wound and urinary tract infections with localised signs of infection.

Yes, it is considered a serious public health threat due to limited treatment options and can cause severe, sometimes life-threatening infections, particularly in patients who are already critically unwell.

Treatment relies on a small number of remaining effective antibiotics, often used in combination, guided by specialist microbiology advice, alongside supportive care and strict infection control measures.

Prevention relies heavily on strict infection control in hospitals, including hand hygiene, equipment sterilisation, isolation of affected patients, and careful, judicious antibiotic use to slow further resistance development.

Treatment duration varies with infection severity and site, typically ranging from one to several weeks of targeted antibiotics, with close monitoring for treatment response and complications.

While several bacteria can develop multidrug resistance, Acinetobacter baumannii is notable for surviving well on hospital surfaces and equipment, and carbapenem resistance specifically removes one of the most reliable treatment options, making it particularly challenging to manage.

Patients in intensive care, those with prolonged hospital stays, ventilator use, invasive devices, or recent broad-spectrum antibiotic use are at highest risk of acquiring this resistant infection.

This infection is typically identified and managed within hospital care rather than in the community; if you have concerns about a hospital-acquired infection, discuss them directly with your treating hospital team or infection control specialists as a priority.