Emergence of tigecycline and colistin resistance in Acinetobacter species isolated from patients in Kuwait hospitals.

The development of resistance is a compelling reason for reviewing administration of antibiotics. Recently, most Acinetobacter infections are caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains which have necessitated the use of tigecycline or colistin. This study was undertaken to determine the susceptibility of Acinetobacter spp. to these and other drugs. A total of 250 Acinetobacter isolates were collected from the 8 government hospitals over a period of 6 months. Susceptibility to 18 antibiotics, including tigecycline and colistin, was investigated by determining their minimum inhibitory concentrations using E test. Of the 250 isolates, 13.6% and 12% were resistant to tigecycline and colistin. A total of 25.2% and 37.2% were resistant to imipenem and meropenem, respectively. Of the 250 isolates 88.4% were MDR. This relatively high prevalence of tigecycline and colistin-resistant isolates indicates an emerging therapeutic problem which may severely compromise the treatment of MDR Acinetobacter spp. infections in Kuwait.