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Introduction: The increase in the prevalence of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections in hospital settings has rapidly emerged worldwide as a serious health problem., Methods: This review synthetizes the epidemiology of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii, highlighting resistance mechanisms., Conclusions: Understanding the genetic mechanisms of resistance as well as the associated risk factors is critical to develop and implement adequate measures to control and prevent acquisition of nosocomial infections, especially in an intensive care unit setting.

Introduction: Plant products are sources for drug development against multidrug resistant bacteria., Methods: The antimicrobial activity of Origanum vulgare L. essential oil (OVeo) against carbapenem-resistant strains was assessed by disk-diffusion, microdilution (REMA-Resazurin Microtiter Assay), and time kill assays., Results: Carbapenemase production was confirmed for all strains. OVeo exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.059% v/v for Klebsiella pneumoniae and Serratia marcescens, and of 0.015 % v/v for Acinetobacter baumannii. A decrease in cell count was observed after a 4 h treatment., Conclusions: OVeo antimicrobial effect was rapid and consistent, making it a candidate for developing alternative therapeutic options against carbapenem-resistant strains.

The global spread of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) strains has restricted the therapeutic options available to treat infections due to this pathogen. Understanding the prevalence of such infections and the underlying genetic mechanisms of resistance may help in the implementation of adequate measures to control and prevent acquisition of nosocomial infections, especially in an intensive care unit setting. This study describes the molecular characteristics and risk factors associated with OXA-23-producing A. baumannii infections. A case-control study was undertaken from September/2013 to April/2015. Acquisition of OXA-23-producing A. baumannii was found to be associated with the use of nasogastric tubes, haemodialysis, and the use of cephalosporins. These isolates were only susceptible to amikacin, gentamicin, tigecycline, and colistin, and contained the ISAba1 insertion sequence upstream ofblaOXA-23 and blaOXA-51 genes. Twenty-six OXA-23-producing A. baumannii strains belonged to the ST79 (CC79) clonal group,and patients infected or colonised by these isolates had a higher mortality rate (34.6%). In conclusion, this study showed a dissemination of OXA-23-producing A. baumannii strains that was associated with several healthcare-related risk factors and high mortality rates among intensive care unit patients., Competing Interests: A.C.G. has recently received research funding and/or consultation fees from Bayer, MSD, and Pfizer. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. The other authors have nothing to declare.