Biotyping of Acinetobacter species isolated from clinical samples

We used the biotyping scheme using carbohydrate substrate utilization test with 14 carbon sources to speciate Acinetobacter isolates from blood and ce rebrospinal fluid cultures of patients admitted to the postoperative neuros urgery ICU during January to November 1996. Sixty one patients culture posi tive fur Acinetobacter sp, from blood or cerebrospinal fluid were followed up prospectively. Among these patients, 40 patients had clinically diagnose d infections like bacteriemia or meningitis while in 21 patients the isolat ion was regarded as contaminants. A. baumanniii was the most common isolate associated with clinical infections while A. lwoffii was more likely to be an environmental contaminant.