The study follows the team’s previous research in 2019, which showed that almost a third of patients in the Hangzhou Intensive Care Unit were infected with CRAB.

Recent studies show that among CRAB isolates, a strain type (GC2) decreased from 99.5% in 2019 to 50.8% in 2021. The remaining population consisted mainly of ST164 isolates that had evolved since mid-2020 and had twice the level of measurable resistance to carbapenems. GC2 strains have.

Co-author Professor Alan McNally, from the University of Birmingham, commented:“We believe that ST164 has begun to establish itself in critical care settings and may spread widely in Asia. Although ST164 caused fewer infections than GC2 over the study period, its high level of antibiotic resistance indicates the need for careful monitoring.

CRAB poses a serious risk to hospitalized patients and can cause serious illnesses such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection, bacteremia, meningitis and soft tissue infections. “Ongoing IPC measures are vital to control the spread of these bacteria in hospitals, and further research is needed to understand how these strains thrive in hospital settings.”

The research was supported by funding from the Medical Research Council and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The study involved high-resolution whole genome sequencing and comparative analysis of CRAB isolates.

CRAB can persist on hospital surfaces and medical equipment for extended periods of time and can colonize patients within 48 hours of admission through hospital staff, shared equipment, airflow, and plumbing. CRAB outbreaks may require interventions or infrastructure changes that impose clinical, logistical, and financial burdens.

Antibiotic-resistant infections are a major threat to global public health. CRAB infections are found worldwide with extremely limited treatment options, leading the World Health Organization to designate CRAB as a priority organism for which new treatment methods are urgently required.

Co-author Professor Willem van Schaik, from the University of Birmingham, added: “The health impacts of CRAB, particularly the ST164 clone, are profound and impact patient outcomes, healthcare systems and public health globally. In the absence of new therapeutic agents, morbidity and mortality caused by bacteria in hospitals “Effective CRAB IPC strategies are vital if we are to limit mortality. Moreover, our study demonstrates the power of genomic surveillance to map the emergence and spread of this drug-resistant clone.”