[Biological characteristics and antibiotic sensitivity of Acinetobacter strains]

Fifty Acinetobacter strains were investigated. Their differentiation according to the species position showed that 30 strains belonged to A. calcoaceticus and 20 strains belonged to A. lwoffi. It was found that the Acinetobacter strains had multiple drug resistance. They showed 100 per cent resistance to ampicillin, carbenicillin, erythromycin, methicillin, oxacillin, tetracycline, oleandomycin, streptomycin, rondomycin and lincomycin. According to the results of the study the most efficient antibiotics were cefazolin, cefotaxime, ceftazidime and polymyxin. The Acinetobacter hospital strains contained conjugative plasmids of different incompatibility groups. 50 per cent of the Acinetobacter strains contained conjugative R plasmids determining the resistance to streptomycin, kanamycin and tetracycline and referring to the T, J, M and N incompatibility groups. Their molecular weights were 42.0, 35.0, 30.0 and 50.0 MD respectively.