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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 June 2026
Background: Carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CP-CRAB) is a highly-transmissible multidrug-resistant organism. In November 2024, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) identified a multi-facility CP-CRAB outbreak in central Georgia and applied whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to guide containment. Methods: During November 2024–May 2025, Georgia and Tennessee Public Health Laboratories confirmed 31 CP-CRAB cases. 24 isolates underwent WGS on Illumina MiSeq; sequences were processed with CDC’s PHoeNIx pipeline, and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) heatmaps were generated with Snippy and Python. Epidemiologic data were abstracted from medical records; risk factors and network analyses were conducted using Excel, with case pairs ?10 SNPs prioritized for analysis. Results: WGS identified 18 cases in three sub-clusters, plus 2 related and 4 unrelated cases; SNP distances ranged 0–34, with 16/49 (33%) case pairs ?10 SNPs. Facilities included four acute-care hospitals (ACH-1–ACH-4, primary ACH-1), with prior exposures to 3 skilled-nursing facilities (SNFs), 1 ventilated-SNF (vSNF), and 1 long-term ACH (LTACH). Sub-cluster 1 (n = 8; 0–26 SNPs; 12/29 pairs ?10 SNPs) specimen sources included 3 respiratory, 2 urinary, 2 wound, and 1 blood specimens from ACH-1–ACH-4. 6 cases formed 12 ?10-SNP pairs, with collection dates 3–52 days apart; 3/6 cases were admitted to ACH-1 from vSNF with direct overlap, 4/6 had prior exposure to ACH-1, and 2/6 had no epidemiologic links. Prior healthcare exposure and intra-facility (ACH-1) movement were observed among all 6 cases. Sub-cluster 2 (n = 5; 2–22 SNPs; 3/10 ?10) involved 5 ventilated respiratory cases, 4 from ACH-1 and 1 from ACH-2. Conclusions: Integrating WGS with epidemiologic data revealed sub-clusters—multiple introductions, distinct transmission pathways, and related cases with wide ranges between collection dates—enabling sub-cluster-specific containment recommendations. These findings informed Georgia’s first multi-facility CP-CRAB outbreak investigation, contributing to the development of a multi-facility engagement model that improved interfacility communication and provider awareness of transmission. Routine WGS–epidemiologic integration is critical for targeted containment and coordinated regional response.
The abstract titles in this supplement have been corrected since original publication. A notice detailing the changes has been published at https://doi.org/10.1017/ash.2026.10802.
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