Fewer treatment options? Multidrug resistance and the challenge of controlling Acinetobacter baumannii in Latvian hospitals

Acinetobacter baumannii is a bacterium that can cause a variety of infections associated with medical settings, as this is where infections are most commonly contracted.

In 2022, Latvia still had one of the highest levels of resistance to Acinetobacter baumannii: 63.3% of Acinetobacter spp. samples were resistant to fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides and carbapenems, which are antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections.

Patient in hospital. Photo: Shutterstock

In his 2014 review of antimicrobial resistance, which occurs when bacteria, viruses or other micro-organisms become resistant to drugs, British economist Jim O'Neill predicted that unless strong action is taken, 10 million people worldwide could die each year from infections caused by resistant micro-organisms by 2050. This would exceed the current global death toll from cancer.

In the latest World Health Organisation report, the World Bank estimates that antimicrobial resistance could cost up to 3.8% of global GDP by 2050. Joint replacement, caesarean section, chemotherapy and various types of transplantation are among the treatments that depend on affordable and effective antimicrobials. Without them—and in the face of widespread antimicrobial resistance—many of these treatments could become riskier or even impossible.

Māris Liepiņš' doctoral thesis explores how long Acinetobacter baumannii remains in the body after infection. This information is crucial for determining the optimal timing for preventing and controlling the spread of the infection.

The results of the study provide a scientific basis for the development of strategies to improve infection control.

The defence of Māris Liepiņš's doctoral thesis, titled ‘Duration of carriage of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and its impact on infection control measures and antimicrobial use’, will take place on 12 November.

For more information, visit the event's page.

RSU dissertation catalogue