Acinetobacter baumannii

Gram-Stain A. Baumannii?

•Pleomorphic, aerobic GNR

•Appears as coccobacillus in singles, pairs, ad short chains

What can A. Baumannii be canfused with?

•Neisseria or Moraxella(differences is that these grow on CHOC no on MAC like nonfermentors)

What can A. Baumannii resemble?

GPC when grown in liquid medium (eg. blood cultures) or direct Gram stains

General Characteristics of A. Baumannii?

•Environmental organism

•Nosocomial pathogen

•Normal flora of the upper respiratory tract, urogenital tract, and lower gastrointestinal tract.

Colonial appearance of A. Baumannii?

•Nonhemolytic on blood agar

•Smooth, opaque, raised, wet-looking, gray-white colony on BA

•NLF with slight bluish-pink tint on MacConkey agar

Biochemical reactions of A. Baumannii?

•Nonmotile

•Oxidase negative

•Nonlactose fermenter

•These organisms are often confused with Enterobacteriaceae so they will ID most often on API 20E

Clinical significance of A. Baumannii?

•Nosocomial pathogen

•Severe pneumonia

•Blood stream infections

•Urinary tract infections

•Burn patients

•“Iraqibacter” because it is common isolate from soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan

Clinical Significance: Prevention and treatment of A. Baumannii?

•"Gram negative MRSA" therefore use same control measures as MRSA

•Multi-drug resistant GNR