title: Clinical and epidemiological investigations of Acinetobacter genomospecies 3 in a neonatal intensive care unit.
abstract: A prospective study of Acinetobacter isolates from a neonatal intensive care unit was performed for 24 months. Fifty-six isolates were obtained from 21 patients, and another eight were obtained from environmental specimens. Infection due to Acinetobacter organisms was established for 16 patients, 6 with septicemia, 9 with pneumonia, and 1 with a wound infection. Further investigations were performed with 38 representative isolates. Twenty-nine isolates were identified as unnamed DNA-DNA hybridization group (genomospecies) 3, three were identified as genomospecies 2 (Acinetobacter baumannii), one was identified as genomospecies 5 (Acinetobacter junii), three were identified as genomospecies 14, and two were unclassified. Eight distinguishable protein profiles, coded I through VIII, were found by cell envelope protein electrophoresis. Profile V, a common profile, was observed for 17 isolates that had been recovered from 11 patients and 1 dust specimen. These isolates, all of which belonged to genomospecies 3, had similar antibiograms and biotypes. This study has revealed that genomospecies 3 can be associated with infection and be spread in hospitals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horrevorts
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kollée
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Breuker
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tjernberg
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dijkshoorn
mesh_terms: D000150:Acinetobacter / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000151:Acinetobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial