Infections caused by Acinetobacter species and their susceptibility to 14 antibiotics in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos

Acinetobacter spp are well recognized as causes of nosocomial infections particularly in patients with immature or defective body defence system. Information concerning these organisms are lacking in this environment. For this reason the pattern of infection and the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of these organisms isolated over a one-year period were studied. A total of 58 (3%) of the 2001 isolates from all clinical specimens received in the laboratory during the year were Acinetobacter spp. The 58 Acinetobacter spp constituted 5.5% of all 1051 NLF-GNB isolated, and caused 4.6% of all the 1261 nosocomial infections. Thirty-seven (63%) and 17 (30%) of the Acinetobacter isolates were from wound infections and UTI respectively. All the infections were nosocomially acquired and were associated with compromised host immunity, defective body defence, surgery or urinary catheterization; with Acinetobacter baumannii being the predominant species. There was an apparent male predominance over females by a ratio of 1. 9:1 in the infections, predominance over females by a ratio of One hundred percent and 96.6% of the isolates were susceptible to cefoperazone-sulbactam and travofloxacin respectively. Forty-five (77.6%) were susceptible to cefotaxime, 49 (84.5%) to ticarcillin-calvulanic acid and 41 (70.7%) to ciprofloxacin. Generally the Acinetobacter spp showed multiple resistance to the range of antibiotics tested. All the isolates produced beta-lactamase.