[Identification of gram-negative nonfermentation bacteria in the air of a surgical hospital]

The method of detecting Gram-negative nonfermentative bacteria in the air of surgical hospitals by means of the -1 apparatus has been developed. 167 strains of nonfermentative bacteria have been isolated and studied; of these, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus constitute 88%. Nonfermentative bacteria occur most frequently in the air of wards for patients with severe burns, as well as in the air of dressing rooms when patients with burns are being bandaged there. The possibility of the spread of nonfermentative bacteria in the hospital by the aerogenic route should be taken into account.