Acinetobacter baumannii

Full Name: Acinetobacter baumannii

Aliases: Multidrug-resistant A. baumannii, MDRAB, A. baumannii

Crime family: Bacteria

Crime: This opportunistic pathogen causes a wide variety of serious infections in humans, mostly in compromised patients. Recently, it has emerged as an important pathogen among wounded soldiers. It has also been implicated in severe life-threatening infections, including meningitis and necrotizing flesh-eating bacteria syndrome. It is naturally resistant to antibiotics, making it challenging to find a drug regimen which will effectively attack it within an infected patient. Furthermore, a study at a public teaching hospital found that the mean total hospital cost of patients who acquired MDRAB was $98,575 higher than that of control patients who had identical burn severity or illness indices.

Victims: 30-day mortality rates for those who contract MDRAB are over 49%.

Last Known Whereabouts: Hospitals and Nursing Homes. This bacterium is also broadly distributed in nature in places such as soil and water, and can be cultivated within healthy human beings.