Therapeutic Challenges of Multidrug Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in Eastern Africa

Acinetobacter baumannii, an opportunistic gram negative bacterium, is known to emerge as a major health threat in Eastern Africa. Clinical isolates exhibit resistance to carbapenems and most or all available antibiotics. This review is intended to present concerns about resistance and therapeutic challenges of multi drug resistance Acinetobacter baumannii in Eastern Africa. Data was obtained from PubMed and Google scholar, and from free goggle access and web Medline for facts about Acinetobacter baumannii and its resistance pattern. Moreover, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) flow chart was used to guide the selection of study materials. Total of 98 articles identified, 13 fit the criteria and were included for the final analysis. In East Africa the overall prevalence of Acinetobacter baumannii was 4.95%, while the overall rate of multi drug resistance, carbapenem and pan resistance was 87.3%, 64.8% and 25.2% respectively. Colistin resurges as potential therapeutic options to overcome the lack of new antibiotic treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii. There needs a collaborative effort in researches targeted for Acinetobacter baumannii treatment and respond for call of "Research and Development of new antibiotics" to control its damning impact.