title: Relationship between nosocomial Acinetobacter species occurring in two geographical areas (Greece and the UK).
abstract: Fifty-two isolates of Acinetobacter spp. obtained from three Greek and one UK hospital, were studied using partial 16 S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis, repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (REP-PCR) mediated fingerprinting and DNA macro-restriction analysis. The aim was twofold: first, to discern the major differences in the population of Acinetobacter spp. between the two countries. Second, to compare a simple PCR-based typing scheme with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The multi-resistant Greek isolates were within DNA groups 2 and TU13, and clustered into three types both by REP-PCR and PFGE. By contrast, the more susceptible Oxford isolates were heterogeneous on 16 S RNA sequence analysis and distinguishable on typing. The need for studies that elucidate the phylogeny of Acinetobacter spp. inside and outside hospitals are important, as this will help clarify the relationship between organisms that are increasingly recognized as causes of severe infections.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece. sidecmed@compulink.gr
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Dimopoulou
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Kartali
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Kartalis
authors.forename: K I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Manolas
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Simopoulos
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Vargemezis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Theodoropoulou-Rodiou
authors.forename: I C J W
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Bowler
authors.forename: D W M
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Crook
mesh_terms: D000151:Acinetobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology