Clinical burden of Acinetobacter baumannii, including carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii, in hospitalized adult patients in the USA between 2018 and 2022

This study aimed to describe the incidence of Acinetobacter baumannii and carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) in US hospitals between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2022. The study identified 7,270 hospitalization encounters with ≥ 1 A. baumannii clinical cultures, with the overall A. baumannii incidence rate being 1.19 cases per 100 hospitalization encounters and 1.33 cases per 100 unique patients. For CRAB, 2,708 hospitalization encounters were identified, with the highest incidence rates in the West South Central, East North Central, and East South Central regions. Patients with CRAB had higher incidences of in-hospital mortality compared to patients with CSAB. Clinicians should consider A. baumannii as a potential pathogen in patients in regions with an increasing incidence rate.