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Antibiotic resistance of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strains isolated from patients treated in intensive care units

L Kiss1, T Leskó, M Széll

  • 1Bacteriology Laboratory, Hajdú-Bihar County Institute National Public Health Service, Debrecen, Hungary.

Acta Microbiologica Et Immunologica Hungarica
|January 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strains from intensive care units show high resistance to many antibiotics. Imipenem and netilmicin are potential choices for treating these difficult nosocomial infections.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Clinical Pharmacy

Background:

  • Acinetobacter calcoaceticus is a significant opportunistic pathogen, particularly in healthcare settings.
  • Intensive care units (ICUs) are prone to infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.
  • Understanding antimicrobial susceptibility patterns is crucial for effective treatment of Acinetobacter infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the distribution of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus isolates from ICU patients.
  • To evaluate the susceptibility of these isolates to a wide range of antimicrobial agents.
  • To identify potential drugs of choice for treating nosocomial Acinetobacter calcoaceticus infections.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and identification of 481 Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strains from ICU patients.
  • Analysis of specimen types where strains were most frequently found.
  • Antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the disk diffusion method.

Main Results:

  • Acinetobacter calcoaceticus was most prevalent in tracheal specimens and pus.
  • High rates of multidrug resistance were observed, with over 80% resistance to ampicillin, azlocillin, mezlocillin, cefoxitin, cefuroxime, cefoperazone, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline.
  • Low resistance rates (<10%) were noted for imipenem, netilmicin, and amikacin, suggesting their potential efficacy.

Conclusions:

  • Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strains in ICUs exhibit extensive resistance to commonly used antibiotics.
  • Imipenem, netilmicin, and amikacin demonstrate promising activity against these resistant strains.
  • These findings guide the selection of appropriate antimicrobial therapy for nosocomial Acinetobacter calcoaceticus infections.

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