Outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii producing the carbapenemase OXA-23 in a tertiary care hospital of Papeete, French Polynesia.

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were obtained from 24 patients between March and May 2004 at the Centre Hospitalier de Polynésie Française, Tahiti, French Polynesia. The isolates were multidrug resistant, produced the carbapenemase OXA-23, and belonged to a single clone presenting several subtypes, suggesting an endemic situation. This study further illustrates the global spread of this kind of beta-lactamase-mediated resistance.