Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare the molecular relationships and antibiograms of nosocomial isolates of Acinetobacter spp. from two acute-care hospitals in Nottingham, UK, and Soweto, South Africa, with different hospital infection control problems and procedures. In contrast to Nottingham, where randomly amplified polymorphic DNA fingerprinting demonstrated that a single multiresistant strain of Acinetobacter baumannii has predominated in the hospital intensive care unit over an 11-year period, the Soweto isolates formed a heterogeneous group of unrelated molecular clusters of different antibiograms, with numerous different strains of Acinetobacter baumannii, Acinetobacter sp. 3 and Acinetobacter sp. 13TU apparently being endemic throughout the Soweto hospital. The contrasting results illustrate the need to maintain exemplary infection control procedures in hospitals where high standards have been achieved and warn of what might result if such measures are diminished.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Webster, C., Towner, K., Saunders, G. et al. Molecular and Antibiogram Relationships of Acinetobacter Isolates from Two Contrasting Hospitals in the United Kingdom and South Africa. EJCMID 18, 595–598 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s100960050354
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100960050354