Author(s)

Cécile Ingrid Djuikoue^1,2*, Benhamed Nadjia³, Paule Dana Djouela Djoulako^2,4, Celianthe Guegang^2,5, Cedric Seugnou Nana^1,2, Hélène Valérie Same Njanjo^2,6, Yemina Grace Kombeu^1,2, Christiane Kiyang Possi^1,2, Rodrigue Kamga Wouambo^2,7, Gandhi Ndieffouo Fosso⁶, Merimé Joel Tchinda Talokou⁸, Bianca Tchounga Chimi¹, Olivier Pomte¹, Agbor Michael^1,2, Benjamin D. Thumamo Pokam⁹, Nicolas Antoine-Moussiaux¹⁰

¹Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences of the Université des Montagnes, Bangangté, Cameroon.
²American Society for Microbiology, Bangangte, Cameroon.
³Université des Sciences et de la Technologie d’Oran Mohamed Boudiaf, Oran, Algeria.
⁴Faculty of Medicine, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
⁵Estuary Academic and Strategic Institute (IUEs/INSAM), Douala, Cameroon.
⁶Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutic Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
⁷Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine II, Leipzig University Medical Center, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
⁸Centre Hospitalier Dominicain St Martin de Porres, Yaounde, Cameroon.
⁹Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
¹⁰Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.

Background and Objective: Nowadays, the clinical utility of carbapenems is threatened by the emergence of resistant bacteria, favored by its increasing use. According to the WHO, Acinetobacter baumannii: nosocomial infection agent, tops the list of priority antibiotic-resistant pathogens, considered to be the riskiest for humans. This study sought to determine the prevalence of carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii strains in four health facilities in the Center and Littoral regions of Cameroon and the associated risk factors. Materials and Method: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted over a six-month period from January to June 2022. All suspicious A. baumanii isolates obtained from pathological samples at the bacteriology laboratory of the different health facilities were systematically collected and re-identified. Re-identification and antimicrobial susceptibility Testing (AST) were performed using the VITEK 2 System and the Kirby-Bauer method according to the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Detection and phenotypic characterization of carbapenemases was performed according to adequate standard procedures. Results: A total of 168/226 clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii were confirmed after re-identification, among which 52.69% derived from male patients, 55.09% from participants aged between 10 - 39 years old, and 46.71% from pus samples. A very high resistance rates to all families of antibiotics was noted, except to colistin (10.2%). 40.12% of these isolates produced carbapenemase, represented by 62.69% of class B and 37.31% of class A. Carbapenemase production was observed only at HMR1, Centre region and at Laquintinie hospital, Littoral region with 53.33% and 50% respectively, even if there is no significant difference (P = 0.81). In addition, frequent hospitalisation was significantly associated to the production of carbapenemase among A. baumanii (Adjusted-OR = 16.53, P-value < 0.0001). Conclusion: This study highlighted the emergence of carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii which is increasingly growing. Continuous drug-resistant monitoring and preventive measures could help to prevent and curb the dissemination of A. baumanii resistance genes, especially in health settings.

Acinetobacter baumannii, Resistance, Carbapenemases, Health Facilities

Djuikoue, C. , Nadjia, B. , Djoulako, P. , Guegang, C. , Nana, C. , Njanjo, H. , Kombeu, Y. , Possi, C. , Wouambo, R. , Fosso, G. , Talokou, M. , Chimi, B. , Pomte, O. , Michael, A. , Pokam, B. and Antoine-Moussiaux, N. (2023) Phenotypic Characterization and Prevalence of Carbapenemase-Producing Acinetobacter baumanii Isolates in Four Health Facilities in Cameroon. Open Journal of Medical Microbiology, 13, 234-249. doi: 10.4236/ojmm.2023.133019.