Outbreak of bla OXA-72 -producing Acinetobacter baumannii in South America.

Thirty-five Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were recovered from two medical centres in Guayaquil City, Ecuador, from November 2012 to October 2013. Isolates were identified using MALDI-TOF and confirmed by rpoB. PCR methods were employed for epidemiological analysis.Thirty-three A. baumannii isolates were resistant to all β-lactams. The bla _OXA-24/40 -like gene was detected in 30 isolates. DNA sequencing identified the bla _OXA-24/40 -like amplicon as bla _OXA-72. The 30 isolates harbouring bla _OXA-72 strains showed the same PCR pattern. We report the first outbreak of bla _OXA-72- producing A. baumannii in South America. This is the first study carried out in the Republic of Ecuador.