THE DISTRIBUTION OF ACINETOBACTER SPECIES IN CLINICAL CULTURE MATERIALS

A total of 584 Acinetobacter strains were isolated from 420 patients from 12 different hospitals over a period of twelve months. Identification of strains at the species level was done according to the new taxonomy proposed by Bouvet and Grimont. A. baumannii strains were isolated most frequently (n = 426; 72.9%), followed by A. species 3 (n = 55), A. johnsonii (n = 29), and A. lwoffii (n = 21). Most isolates were recovered from respiratory tract specimens (n = 251; 42.9%), blood cultures (n = 116; 19.9%), wound swabs (n = 90; 15.4%), catheter tips (n = 75; 12.8%), and urinary tract specimens (n = 20; 3.4%). Strains belonging to species other than A. baumannii were isolated more frequently (n = 158; 27. 1%) than previously reported, mainly from blood cultures, respiratory tract specimens, and central venous catheters.