Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection, colonization, and transmission related to a long-term care facility providing subacute care.

Objective. To investigate Acinetobacter baumannii infection, colonization, and transmission related to a long-term care facility (LTCF) providing subacute care (facility A).Methods. We reviewed facility A and affiliated local hospital records for facility A residents with A. baumannii isolated during the period January 2009 through February 2010 and compared A. baumannii antimicrobial resistance patterns of residents with those of hospital patients. During March 2010, we implemented a colonization survey of facility A residents who received respiratory support or who could provide sputum samples and looked for A. baumannii colonization risks. Available clinical and survey isolates underwent pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE); PFGE strains were linked with overlapping stays to identify possible transmission.Results. During the period January 2009 through February 2010, 33 facility A residents had A. baumannii isolates; all strains were multidrug resistant (MDR), which was a significantly higher preval...