Six Extensively Drug-Resistant Bacteria in an Injured Soldier, Ukraine

Blood and surveillance cultures from an injured service member from Ukraine grew Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecium, and 3 distinct Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. Isolates were nonsusceptible to most antibiotics and carried an array of antibiotic resistant genes, including carbapenemases (bla_IMP-1, bla_NDM-1, bla_OXA-23, bla_OXA-48, bla_OXA-72) and 16S methyltransferases (armA and rmtB4).

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has placed extraordinary pressure on medical infrastructure and health delivery services in the region. Previous reports from Eastern Ukraine have noted the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumanii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacterales infections during hospitalization. Those strains encompassed a variety of clonal lineages, with many carrying carbapenemases, extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), and 16S methyltransferases. We describe the isolation of 6 extensively drug-resistant (XDR) organisms from a single soldier from Ukraine.