A new strain of the superbug Acinetobacter baumannii is proving to not just be antibiotic resistant, but also fully equipped with the tools to spread and develop further resistance to treatments. New research found this virulent strain in a Malaysian hospital and warned this could soon become a global public health issue.
Dr David Cleary from the University of Birmingham and co-author of the study explained: “Our study provides further evidence that the same dangerous family of A. baumannii bacteria keeps spreading in hospitals. Despite its importance, there is very little information on A. baumannii from low- and middle-income countries.
"Understanding how the disease evolves is critical in helping to prevent the spread of disease, as well as developing and optimizing treatments. A. baumannii keeps evolving new resistance tricks and low- and middle-income countries need more tools to track it,” he said, adding that it’s a “significant threat to public health” according to [News Medical](https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250401/New-antibiotic-resistant-superbug-discovered-in-Malaysian-hospital.aspx).
The bacteria usually causes skin or wound infections in sick patients. It can also cause other health complications including lung infections like pneumonia, blood infections like septicaemia and urinary tract infections.
It’s classed as a “critical priority pathogen” by the World Health Organisation because of its tendency to appear in healthcare settings and be multi-drug resistant.
The study published in Microbial Genomics analysed 126 samples of the bacteria collected between 2011 and 2020 at a hospital in Terengganu, Malaysia. Experts found the majority of these bacteria were resistant to multiple antibiotics, including the current drug of choice to treat these infections.
The [NHS](https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/all-about/nhs) notes that Acinetobacter is usually spread through the hands, making hand hygiene vital to prevent further infection. Some of the warning signs of these infections are a fever, redness around the infected wound that may be paired with increasing pain or thick and foul smelling pus being excreted from the wound.
Patient leaflets from NHS trusts note: “If you have any of these signs or symptoms, please contact your doctor for diagnosis. Acinetobacter does not usually pose a threat to healthy people, hospital staff or to family members or close contacts of an infected patient.”