Distribution of Acinetobacter species on human skin: comparison of phenotypic and genotypic identification methods

Abstract

At least 19 genomic species are recognized as constituting the genus Acinetobacter. However, little is known about the natural reservoirs of the various members of the genus. An epidemiological study was therefore performed to investigate the colonization with Acinetobacter spp. of the skin and mucous membranes of 40 patients hospitalized in a cardiology ward and 40 healthy controls. Single samples were obtained once from each of nine different body sites, i.e., forehead, ear, nose, throat, axilla, hand, groin, perineum, and toe web. Identification of Acinetobacter isolates was achieved by using phenotypic properties and was compared to identification by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis. Selected isolates were further investigated with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, ribotyping, and DNA-DNA hybridization. Plasmid profile analysis was used for epidemiological typing. Thirty patients (75%) and 17 controls (42.5%) were found to be colonized with Acinetobacter spp., and the colonization rates of patients increased during their hospital stay. The most frequently isolated species were Acinetobacter lwoffii (47%), A. johnsonii (21%), A. radioresistens (12%), and DNA group 3 (11%). In contrast, A. baumannii and DNA group 13TU, the most important nosocomial Acinetobacter spp., were found only rarely on human skin (0.5 and 1%, respectively) and their natural habitat remains to be defined. A good correlation between phenotypic and genotypic methods for identification of Acinetobacter spp. was observed, and only two isolates could not be assigned to any of the known DNA groups.

Identification of bacterial DNA in neutrocytic and non‐neutrocytic cirrhotic ascites by means of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction

“…In our series we were able to identify A. baumannii in 3/14 ascitic bactDNA-positive samples. Despite up to 43% of nonhospitalized individuals are found to be colonized with Acinetobacter species, the most important nosocomial Acinetobacter species, A. baumannii, is only rarely ( 3%) found on the human skin or in human faeces ( 1%) (30)(31)(32). An increase in SBP by A. baumannii to 5% in 1999 has been reported from Korea (25).…”

Relatedness of wildlife and livestock avian isolates of the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii to lineages spread in hospitals worldwide

“…The natural reservoirs of A. baumannii and of other clinically relevant Acinetobacter species such as A. nosocomialis are poorly defined (Peleg et al, 2008;Eveillard et al, 2013) impeding effective prevention of transmission. Healthy humans only rarely carry A. baumannii on their skin (Seifert et al, 1997). Likewise, environmental sampling only sporadically yielded A. baumannii (Choi et al, 2012;Eveillard et al, 2013).…”

Studies on bioemulsifier production by Acinetobacter strains isolated from healthy human skin

“…johnsonii and Ac. calcoaceticus (Seifert et al 1997;Berlau et al 1999;Chu et al 1999). The presence of numerous hydrophobic substances on human skin in the form of skin surface lipids (SSL) (Strauss et al 1975;Downing et al 1999) necessitates that the skin micro¯ora be able to resist the inhibitory action of SSLs and, if possible, be capable of metabolizing these substrates.…”