INTRODUCTION: Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) causes the most human infections of any Acinetobacter species and has become a concerning cause of healthcare-associated infections. Further review of its role in water-related hospital outbreaks is needed to better understand the burden of A. baumannii on healthcare systems.

AIM: This review sought to examine water-related outbreaks caused by A. baumannii in hospitals since 2006. The review aimed to identify and analyze the reservoirs, antimicrobial susceptibility, and infection control practices of A. baumannii associated outbreaks to better understand effective prevention and control measures.

METHODS: This systematic review followed the guidelines from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Three databases were searched including EMBASE, PubMED, and Web of Science. Data was extracted using a data extraction sheet focused on reservoirs, antimicrobial susceptibility, and infection control practices.

RESULTS: A total of seven outbreaks of A. baumannii within different hospital settings were examined. Every outbreak involved drug resistant strains of A. baumannii and required enhanced or novel infection control interventions. The hospital reservoirs varied between facilities, and no two outbreak strains were susceptible to the same forms of treatment.

DISCUSSION: With increasing antimicrobial resistance, identifying effective treatment and infection control practices are vital for preventing and controlling A. baumannii outbreaks. Global best practices are needed to combat this pathogen, and recommendations should be based on the most current evidence.