title: Molecular typing of Acinetobacter baumannii-Acinetobacter calcoaceticus complex isolates from endemic and epidemic nosocomial infections.
abstract: Ribotype, biotype and resistance phenotype were used to characterize 37 Acinetobacter baumannii-A. calcoaceticus complex isolates responsible for nosocomial infections in Buenos Aires. Nineteen isolates were recovered from endemic infections at 2 hospitals and 18 represent an intensive care unit outbreak that occurred in a third hospital. By ribotyping isolates were classified into five different clones of A. baumannii biotype 2, 3 of A. baumannii biotype 9, and 3 of Acinetobacter genospecies 13. Combination of the three epidemiological markers permitted categorization of 18 outbreak isolates into four probable strains: 2 A. baumannii biotype 2, named type I, and II, and 2 A. baumannii biotype 9. Type I (15 isolates) was the most prevalent strain at one hospital and was responsible for the outbreak. In conclusion, combined analysis of biotypes, resistance phenotypes, and ribotypes was an accurate approach for epidemiologic investigation of A. baumannii. Furthermore, ribotyping discriminated Acinetobacter genospecies 13 isolates which were phenotypically difficult to type.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ratto
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Sordelli
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abeleira
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torrero
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Catalano
mesh_terms: D000150:Acinetobacter / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects; D000151:Acinetobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016954:Acinetobacter calcoaceticus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D015183:Restriction Mapping