Abstract
In this study, we identified critically ill patients with Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia and examined perirectal surveillance cultures for the presence of genetically related A baumannii strains using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to determine whether gut colonization preceded clinical infection. Seven patients with imipenem-resistant A baumannii bacteremia were identified from January to June of 2008. Six of 7 (86%) patients were colonized in the gastrointestinal tract with genetically similar strains preceding their bacteremia.