Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-gvh9x Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-24T12:27:08.407Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Acinetobacter

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Charles W. Stratton ,
Patricia A. Ristuccia  and
Burke A. Cunha
Patricia A. Ristuccia
Affiliation:
Infectious Disease Division, Nassau Hospital, Mineola, New York
Burke A. Cunha
Affiliation:
Infectious Disease Division, Nassau Hospital, Mineola, New York
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Found in the family Neisseriaceae, the genus Acinetobacter is large and contains many species formerly classified as Mima, Herellea, Moraxella, Bacterium, Achromobacter, and even Pseudomonas. Currently, only Acinetobacter calcoaceticus is recognized in Bergey's Manual. The phenotypic variability of this species, A. calcoaceticus, is explained on the basis of four biotypes. The biotypes are classed according to their hemolytic activity, production of gelatinase, ability to grow on Salmonella-Shigella (SS) agar, and production of acid from glucose. The two most clinically important and frequently encountered biotypes are A. calcoaceticus var. anitratus and A. calcoaceticus var. lwoffi. The other biotypes are A. calcoaceticus var. haemolyticus and A. calcoaceticus var. alcaligenes. Although they are not very virulent organisms, infections due to Acinetobacter species have been associated with a wide variety of nosocomial infections. Most infections involve patients with compromised host defenses. Acinetobacter has been associated with a variety of diseases including septicemia, with indwelling intravenous catheters as the suspected portal of entry; bacteriuria, usually associated with the presence of an indwelling bladder catheter; and pneumonias affecting those severely debilitated individuals who have undergone major surgery or trauma. Respiratory support equipment has been found to serve as a source or reservoir for these organisms. Most nosocomial colonizations and infections due to A. calcoaceticus are due to the anitratus variety.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 4 , Issue 4 , August 1983 , pp. 226 - 230
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1983

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Hendriksen, SD: Moraxella, Acinetobacter and the Mimaea. Bacteriol Rev 1973; 37:522–551.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Lessel, EF: International committee on nomenclature of bacteria: Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Moraxella and allied bacteria. Int J Sept Bacteriol 1971; 21:213–214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Reyn, A, Lautrop, H: Gram-negative cocci and coccobacilli, in Buchanan, RE, Gibbons, NE (eds): Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, ed 8. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins Co, 1974, pp 427–438.Google Scholar
4.Rubin, S, Granato, PA, Waskilauskas, BL: Glucose-nonfermenting gram-negative bacteria, in Lennette, EH, Balows, A, Hausler, WJ, et al (eds): Manual of Clinical Microbiology, ed 3. Washington, American Society for Microbiology, 1980, pp 263–287.Google Scholar
5.Gill, FA, Gill, VJ: Acinetobacter species, in Mandeli, GL, Douglas, RG, Bennett, JE, (eds): Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. New York, John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1979, pp 1727–1729.Google Scholar
6.Glew, RH, Moellering, RC Jr, Kunz, LJ: Infections with Acinetobacter calcoaceticus (Herellea vaginicola): Clinical and laboratory studies. Medicine 1977; 56:79–97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Ramphai, R, Kluge, RM: Acinetobacter calcoaceticus variety anitratus: An increasing nosocomial problem. Am J Med Sci 1979; 277:57–66.Google Scholar
8.Castle, M, Tenney, JH, Weinstein, MP, et al: Outbreak of a multiply-resistant Acinetobacter in a surgical intensive care unit: Epidemiology and control. Heart Lung 1978; 7:641–644.Google Scholar
9.Gilardi, GL: Identification of miscellaneous glucose nonfermenting gram-negative bacteria, in Gilardi, GL (ed): Glucose Nonfermenting Gram-negatixie Bacteria in Clinical Microbiology. West Palm Beach, CRC Press, 1978, pp 45–65.Google Scholar
10.Rudin, ML, Michael, JR, Huxley, EJ: Community-acquired acinetobacter pneumonia. Am J Med 1979; 67:39–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Cordes, LG, Brink, EW, Checko, PJ, et al: A cluster of Acinetobacter pneumonia in foundry workers. Ann Intern Med 1981; 95:688–693.Google Scholar
12.Goodhart, GL, Abrutyn, E, Watson, R, et al: Community-acquired Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var. anitratus pneumonia. JAMA 1977; 238:1516–1518.Google Scholar
13.Buxton, AE, Anderson, RL, Werdegar, D, et al: Nosocomial respiratory tract infection and colonization with Acinetobactet calcoaceticus. Epidemiologic characteristics. Am J Med 1978; 65:507–513.Google Scholar
14.Smith, PW, Massanari, RM: Room humidifiers as the source of Acinetobacter infections. JAMA 1977; 237:795–797.Google Scholar
15.Cunha, BA, Klimek, JJ, Gracewski, J, et al: A common source outbreak of Acinetobacter pulmonary infections traced to Wright respirators. Postgrad Med J 1980; 56:169–172.Google Scholar
16.Retailliau, HF, Hightower, AW, Dixon, RE, et al: Acinetobacter calcoaceticus: A nosocomial pathogen with an unusual seasonal pattern. J Infect Dis 1979; 139:371–375.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Raz, R, Alroy, G, Sobel, JD: Nosocomial bacteremia due to Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. Infection 1982; 10:168–171.Google Scholar
18.Harvey, K, Schuck, S: Acinetobacter septicemia fallowing prolonged intravenous therapy. Am J Aust 1977; 2:121–124.Google Scholar
19.Abrutyn, E, Goodhart, GL, Roos, K. et al: Acinetobacter calcoaceticus outbreak associated with peritoneal dialysis. Am J Epidemiol 1978; 107:328–335.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Glew, GH, Moellering, RC Jr, Buettner, KR: In vitro synergism between carbenicillin and aminoglycoside aminocyclitols against Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var. anitratus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1977; 2:1036–1041.Google Scholar
21.Maderazo, EG, Quintiliani, R, Tilton, RC, et al: Activity of minocycline against Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var. anitratus (syn. Herellea vaginicola) and Serratia marcescens. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1975; 8:54–57.Google Scholar
22.Crues, JV III, Murray, BE, Moellering, RC Jr: In vitro activity of three tetracycline antibiotics against Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subsp. anitratus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1977; 16:690–692.Google Scholar
23.Aber, RC, Tamin, J, Stavitz, J, et al: Sensitivity of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strains to seven cephalosporins. Lancet 1981; 2:472.Google Scholar