EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY OF ACINETOBACTER SPECIES ISOLATED FROM AN INTENSIVE-CARE UNIT

An epidemiological survey of the increase in Acinetobacter species iso lates occurring in the intensive care unit of a Spanish teaching hospi tal during 1993 and 1994 was carried out. Different laboratory methods were used to find out, whether there was a genetic linkage. The isola tes were divided into three main groups according to the resistance pa tterns to 11 drugs. Using API 20NE biotyping, eight different types we re found. The two most common contained 20 and 11 isolates, respective ly. Five different plasmid profile types were observed, although plasm ids were only demonstrated in 40% of the isolates. Ribotyping with Eco RI, Sa/I and ClaI enzymes revealed 10, 9, and 8 different patterns, re spectively. In total, 15 different ribotypes were identified using the se three enzymes. Twenty-one isolates belonged to exactly the same rib otype, and 13 were associated with two highly related ribotypes. In th e first ribotype, only five isolates harboured plasmids. The ribotypin g method produced 100% typability and ribotypes were easy to compare; it also had taxonomic value. Ribotyping allowed us to determine the ge netic linkage between Acinetobacter isolates recovered from ICU patien ts.