TY - JOUR
T1 - Molecular heterogeneity of Acinetobacter baumanii isolates during seasonal increase in prevalence.
AU - Christie, C.
AU - Mazon, D.
AU - Hierholzer, W.
AU - Patterson, J. E.
PY - 1995/10
Y1 - 1995/10
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To study the epidemiology of Acinetobacter baumanii during a period of increased seasonal prevalence. DESIGN: Descriptive molecular and clinical epidemiologic study of A baumanii isolates from 1990 through 1992. SETTING: A 770-bed urban, acute, tertiary-care university hospital. RESULTS: During 1990 through 1992, the rate of A baumanii isolations was 30.4 per 1,000 culture isolations during the summer, compared to 12.6 per 1,000 culture isolations during the fall, winter, and spring (P < .000001). There were 320 isolates identified among 260 patients during this time. Eighty-one patients with isolates available were identified for evaluation; they ranged in age from 2 months to 95 years. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing showed that 59 (83%) of 71 typed isolates had distinct PFGE patterns. There were three small clusters of isolates with the same PFGE patterns, suggesting cross-transmission in those instances. CONCLUSIONS: A seasonally increased prevalence of A baumanii largely associated with device-related nosocomial infections in severely ill patients was noted over a 3-year period. Although there were isolated instances of cross-transmission, most isolates had distinct PFGE patterns. Clonal dissemination of a single strain was not responsible for the seasonal increased prevalence of A baumanii. PFGE typing was useful in directing control efforts.
AB - OBJECTIVE: To study the epidemiology of Acinetobacter baumanii during a period of increased seasonal prevalence. DESIGN: Descriptive molecular and clinical epidemiologic study of A baumanii isolates from 1990 through 1992. SETTING: A 770-bed urban, acute, tertiary-care university hospital. RESULTS: During 1990 through 1992, the rate of A baumanii isolations was 30.4 per 1,000 culture isolations during the summer, compared to 12.6 per 1,000 culture isolations during the fall, winter, and spring (P < .000001). There were 320 isolates identified among 260 patients during this time. Eighty-one patients with isolates available were identified for evaluation; they ranged in age from 2 months to 95 years. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing showed that 59 (83%) of 71 typed isolates had distinct PFGE patterns. There were three small clusters of isolates with the same PFGE patterns, suggesting cross-transmission in those instances. CONCLUSIONS: A seasonally increased prevalence of A baumanii largely associated with device-related nosocomial infections in severely ill patients was noted over a 3-year period. Although there were isolated instances of cross-transmission, most isolates had distinct PFGE patterns. Clonal dissemination of a single strain was not responsible for the seasonal increased prevalence of A baumanii. PFGE typing was useful in directing control efforts.
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U2 - 10.2307/30141099
DO - 10.2307/30141099
M3 - Article
C2 - 8568204
AN - SCOPUS:0029385039
SN - 0899-823X
VL - 16
SP - 590
EP - 594
JO - Infection control and hospital epidemiology : the official journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America
JF - Infection control and hospital epidemiology : the official journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America
IS - 10
ER -