INVESTIGATION OF HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS DUE TO ALCALIGENES-DENITRIFICANS SUBSP XYLOSOXYDANS BY DNA RESTRICTION-FRAGMENT-LENGTH-POLYMORPHISM

We demonstrate that DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism deter mined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis is very useful in the invest igation of the epidemiology of hospital-acquired infections caused by Alcaligenes denitrificans subsp. xylosoxydans. This approach showed th at hospital-acquired infections caused by this opportunistic pathogen over a 6-month period in 10 patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit and a surgical unit were not a true outbreak. In addition, this molecular typing method established that the respiratory therapy equip ment was the source of the contamination of two patients.