In recent decades, antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become an increasingly urgent public health concern. The uncontrolled use of antibiotics, along with inadequate implementation of prevention and control measures, is the primary factor contributing to this issue. The hospital environment is a major source of multidrug-resistant bacteria, and in recent years, there has been growing concern about hospital wastewater, which acts as a significant reservoir for these bacteria and their resistance genes. This situation leads to the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria in the environment. One particular concern is Acinetobacter, especially Acinetobacter baumannii, which has emerged as a pathogenic threat in healthcare-associated infections. This bacterium is found in high densities in hospital wastewater. Most strains of A. baumannii express resistance not only to carbapenems but also to several other classes of antibiotics, including tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, and aminoglycosides. These strains must be combated through effective measures. Bacteriophages represent a potential mitigation strategy for antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter spp. originating from hospital wastewater. This review summarizes studies from online databases regarding the identification and characterization of Acinetobacter strains in hospital wastewater worldwide, and presents progress in isolating and characterizing bacteriophages against A. baumannii found in hospital wastewater.
Smarandache et al. (Sun,) studied this question.