Multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, (MRAB) is an important cause of hospital acquired infection. The purpose of this study is to determine the risk factors for MRAB in a city hospital patient population.

Background Multi-drug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii is an important cause of hospital acquired infection and often increases mortality and length of stay[1-3]. The mechanisms of resistance include: (1) antimicrobialinactivating enzymes such as -lactamases, (2) alteration of membrane porin channels, and (3) mutations that change cellular functions [4]. Accurate genotyping and correlation to antimicrobial susceptibility will help prevent and treat outbreaks of Acinetobacter. The genome of A. baumannii ranges from 3.2 Megabases (Mb) in the drug sensitive SDF strain up to 3.9 Mb in the MDR AYE strain. A surprisingly high proportion of baumannii ORFs, (15%-20%), are located in resistance islands or “alien islands” long stretches of DNA acquired from a foreign source. The MDR AYE strain has an 86Kb island containing 45-50 drug resistance genes located in an insertion hotspot [5]. Our study aims to sequence several A. baumannii isolates from Metro Nashville General (NGH) Hospital and conduct a strain-to-reference genomic characterization of clinical virulence factors.

OBJECTIVE:The command of a U.S. Army Reserve Combat Support Hospital designed this study to evaluate soldiers' behavior related to and attitudes toward skipping meals while on annual training (AT).METHODS:The command administered an anonymous survey on attitudes about weight loss and weightloss behavior while on AT. Of 180 soldiers given the opportunity to respond, 100 responses were received (55%).RESULTS:Before AT, 50% of reservists responding thought about losing weight while on AT, 62% of soldiers were trying to lose weight while on AT, and 25% of soldiers skipped meals. Soldiers who felt that they were overweight had a 2.9-fold increased risk for skipping meals, and those who thought about losing weight before AT had a 3.0-fold risk. Neither age, gender, rank, nor history of previously being on weight control was a predictor of skipping meals.CONCLUSION:Most soldiers considered and tried to lose weight while at AT, and soldiers who considered themselves overweight or thought about losing weight were at increased risk for skipping meals.