CARBAPENEM-RESISTANT
ACINETOBACTER
THREAT LEVEL URGENT
8,500
Estimated cases
700
Estimated
$281M
Estimated attributable
in hospitalized deaths in 2017 healthcare costs in 2017
patients in 2017
Acinetobacter bacteria can survive a long time on surfaces. Nearly all carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter
infections happen in patients who recently received care in a healthcare facility.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW CASES OVER TIME
■■ Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter cause pneumonia Continued infection control and appropriate antibiotic use
and wound, bloodstream, and urinary tract infections. are important to maintain decreases in carbapenem-resistant
These infections tend to occur in patients in intensive Acinetobacter infections.
care units.
■■ Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter can carry
mobile genetic elements that are easily shared
between bacteria. Some can make a carbapenemase
enzyme, which makes carbapenem antibiotics
ineffective and rapidly spreads resistance that
destroys these important drugs.
■■ Some Acinetobacter are resistant to nearly all
antibiotics and few new drugs are in development.
CARBAPENEM-RESISTANT ACINETOBACTER
A THREAT IN HEALTHCARE TREATMENT OVER TIME
Acinetobacter is a challenging threat to hospitalized Treatment options for infections caused by carbapenem-
patients because it frequently contaminates healthcare resistant Acinetobacter baumannii are extremely limited.
facility surfaces and shared medical equipment. If not There are few new drugs in development.
addressed through infection control measures, including
rigorous cleaning and disinfection, outbreaks PERCENT OF GERMS THAT TESTED NON-SUSCEPTIBLE
in hospitals and nursing homes can occur. (NOT SENSITIVE) TO OTHER TYPES OF ANTIBIOTICS
Acinetobacter is already resistant to many antibiotics. Select
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Resistance to carbapenems further reduces patient Antibiotics
treatment options. Overall rates of carbapenem-
resistant Acinetobacter cases have decreased; however, Any fluoroquinolone 98% 93% 97% 92% 89%
carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter that can produce
carbapenemases, which can spread to other germs Any extended-spectrum
and amplify the problem of resistance through mobile 80% 75% 81% 79% 75%
β-lactam
resistance elements (e.g., DNA), appear to be increasing.
Ampicillin/sulbactam 62% 62% 59% 64% 61%
This increase of carbapenemase production threatens
to reverse decreases of carbapenem-resistant
Acinetobacter cases. Infections caused by carbapenem- Trimethoprim/
84% 74% 81% 77% 66%
sulfamethoxazole
resistant Acinetobacter baumannii are of particular
concern because they are frequently difficult to treat with
Germs refer to isolates (pure samples of germs) from eight of CDC’s Emerging
available antibiotics. Infections Program sites. See Technical Appendix for antibiotic susceptibilities details.
ONLINE RESOURCES
About Acinetobacter in Healthcare Settings
www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/acinetobacter.html
Surveillance of Gram-negative Healthcare Infections
www.cdc.gov/hai/eip/mugsi.html
This fact sheet is part of CDC’s 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report.
The full report, including data sources, is available at www.cdc.gov/DrugResistance/Biggest-Threats.html.
CS298822-A
