Surveillance of nosocomial cross-infections due to three Acinetobacter genospecies (Acinetobacter baumannii, genospecies 3 and genospecies 13) duringa 10-year observation period: Serotyping, macrorestriction analysis of genomic DNA and antibiotic susceptibilities

During a 10-year surveillance period, a total of 2,359 isolates comprising the genus Acinetobacter were recovered and identified presumptively with ph enotypic tests. Genospecies 3 was the most common (n = 1,053), followed by genospecies 13 (n = 352), Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 335), Acinetobacter Iwoffi (n = 162), and genospecies 14 (n = 97); 100 isolates (4.2%) were cat egorized as questionable Acinetobacter, There were 34 clusters of putative nosocomial cross-infection due either to genospecies 3 (n = 16), A. baumann ii (n = 10) or genospecies 13 (n = 8). Apart from 3 clusters due to two mul tiple-antibiotic-resistant strains of genospecies 13 and one strain of A. b aumannii, respectively, there was no significant increase of antibiotic res istance discernible during the decade-long period of Acinetobacter surveill ance. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.