Multiple‐drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii bronchopneumonia in a colt following intensive care treatment

This report describes a case of a multiple‐drug resistant strain of Acinetobacter baumannii associated with bronchopneumonia in a horse. A 6‐month‐old Thoroughbred colt was examined for a chronic lower respiratory tract disease. Prior to presentation to the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (UVTH), the colt had been treated intensively in a private equine hospital for presumed antimicrobial‐induced enterocolitis following treatment with azithromycin and rifampin, and had been discharged on treatment of doxycycline for continued lower airway abnormalities. At the UVTH, investigation of the lower airway disease included a culture of a percutaneous transtracheal wash, which identified a multiple‐drug resistant strain of A. baumannii as the causative agent with sensitivity only to fluoroquinolones and trimethoprim sulphonamides. Following treatment with marbofloxacin there was full resolution of the bronchopneumonia. A. baumannii is a major nosocomial pathogen associated with infections in both animals and man and reports of multiple‐drug resistant strains have been documented worldwide. Outbreaks of A. baumannii infections have been reported to occur in very ill human patients housed in healthcare settings such as intensive care units, and are characterised by the rapid development of resistance to the majority of antimicrobials. The difficulties in the treatment of such cases as well as the potential risk of transmission within a veterinary clinical setting are discussed.