Molecular Surveillance of Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria among Refugees from Afghanistan in 2 US Military Hospitals during Operation Allies Refuge, 2021

Cole Anderson*, Francois Lebreton, Emma Mills, Brendan Jones, Melissa Martin, Hunter Smith, Roseanne Ressner, Sara Robinson, Wesley Campbell, Jason Smedberg, Michael Backlund, Diane Homeyer, Joshua Hawley-Molloy, Natalie Khan, Henry Dao, Patrick McGann, Jason Bennett

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

In 2021, two US military hospitals, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, observed a high prevalence of multidrug- resistant bacteria among refugees evacuated from Afghanistan during Operation Allies Refuge. Multidrugresistant isolates collected from 80 patients carried an array of antimicrobial resistance genes, including carbapenemases (blaNDM-1, blaNDM-5, and blaOXA-23) and 16S methyltransferases (rmtC and rmtF). Considering the rising transmission of antimicrobial resistance and unprecedented population displacement globally, these data are a reminder of the need for robust infection control measures and surveillance.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)S47-S52
JournalEmerging Infectious Diseases
Volume30
Issue number14
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2024

Cite this