ACINETOBACTER

Course overview

ACINETOBACTER IS A GRAM-NEGATIVE, NONMOTILE ORGANISM THAT IS OFTEN FOUND IN SOIL AND WATER AND IS KNOWN TO COLONIZE INTRAVENOUS FLUIDS. IN GENERAL, ACINETOBACTER HAS LOW VIRULENCE, HOWEVER IT IS CAPABLE OF CAUSING INFECTION IN IMMUNOCOMPROMISED AND NEUTROPENIC PATIENTS AND IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DRUG RESISTANT. THE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF ACINETOBACTER IS HIGH IN SICK PATIENTS WITH MULTI-ORGAN DISEASE. IN THE CASE OF INFECTIONS BEING CAUSED BY RESISTANT STRAINS OF ACINETOBACTER BAUMANII, MORTALITY RATES OF UP TO 70% HAVE BEEN REPORTED. MOST ACINETOBACTER ISOLATES OBTAINED RESULT FROM NOSOCOMIAL SPREAD AND COLONIZATION RATHER THAN DE NOVO INFECTIONS. SINCE ISOLATED ACINETOBACTER INFECTIONS ARE RARE AND MOST ACINETOBACTER INFECTIONS CORRESPOND TO GROUP OUTBREAKS, PATIENTS COLONIZED WITH ACINETOBACTER SHOULD BE ISOLATED FROM OTHER PATIENTS TO PREVENT FURTHER COLONIZATION. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ETIOLOGY AND EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ACINETOBACTER COLONIZATION AND INFECTION AND PROVIDES RECOMMENDATIONS ON TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT. THIS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN CARING FOR PATIENTS COLONIZED OR INFECTED WITH THIS ORGANISM.