TEMPORAL PATTERN an‎d CONTROL OF AN OUTBREAK OF EXTENSIVELY DRUG RESISTANT ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII IN AN ICU

Objective: Acinetobacter baumannii is (XDR – AB) an important human pathogen causing many nosocomial infections. Once introduced into the hospital, it may become difficult to get rid of it. It can cause a range of infections, which are difficult to treat because the organism is usually resistant to many classes of antibiotics. We describe the temporal pattern of a cohort of cases which alerted the infection control committee for action to prevent these infections. Methods: Spread over a four months period, nine cases of XDR-AB admitted in the ICU, were diagnosed by appropriate cultures. Extensive environmental sampling was done to find a niche for the causative organism. Infection Control Committee compiled and implemented the disinfection protocols and other infection prevention strategies. Close surveillance for any additional cases was instituted. Results: XDR – AB from all nine cases had similar antibiogram. We identified the index case and determined the temporal pattern of all subsequent cases. The environmental cultures did not yield a growth of XDR – AB. The high level disinfection and observance of standard precautions led to disappearance of new cases for the three months period of follow-up. Conclusion: An effective infection control program can control the outbreak situation in a hospital, pro-vided all the members of the hospital team (administration, treating physicians surgeons, microbiology laboratory and infection control committee) work in harmony and follow the standard operating protocols.