Protein fingerprinting for the determination of relatedness in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subspecies anitratus isolated from patients in a surgical intensive care unit.
The use of protein fingerprinting for the establishment of relatedness among isolates of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subspecies anitratus, isolated from patients in a surgical intensive care unit was examined. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to analyze the cellular proteins from whole cell lysates of 14 intensive care unit A calcoaceticus subspecies anitratus isolates and 11 control strains. Antimicrobial susceptibilities and plasmid profiles were also determined for all isolates. All intensive care unit A calcoaceticus subspecies anitratus isolates exhibited identical cellular protein fingerprints, no detectable plasmids, and minimum inhibitory concentrations within +/- 1 log2 dilution of the mode value for each of the antimicrobial agents tested. The other clinical isolates demonstrated a range of antimicrobial susceptibilities, various numbers and sizes of plasmids, and distinctly different protein fingerprints. These data indicate that protein fingerprinting may be useful as an epidemiologic tool in A calcoaceticus subspecies anitratus outbreaks and this method deserves further study.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston.
J E
JE
Mortensen
M T
MT
LaRocco
B
B
Steiner
B
B
Ribner
D000150:Acinetobacter / Q000032:analysis / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000151:Acinetobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010449:Peptide Mapping / Q000379:methods; D010957:Plasmids
D001426:Bacterial Proteins