Community-Acquired Acinetobacter baumannii Infections in Northern
California

Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging pathogen which causes serious healthcare-associated infections, and less commonly, community-acquired infections, especially in tropical and subtropical climates. A description of the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with A. baumannii community-acquired infections, cared for a medical center located in Northern California, is presented. A total of 52 cases were identified, 11 (215) of which were community-acquired. Community-acquired A. baumannii infections caused a variety of serious clinical syndromes; most commonly wound infections, but also urinary tract infections, pneumonia and septic shock. Most cases were associated with comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus and alcoholism. Although multi-drug resistance was seen in 20% of healthcar e-associated infections, all of the community-acquired infections were caused by fully susceptible strains.