Protein Fingerprinting for the Determination of Relatedness in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subspecies anitratus Isolated from Patients in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit

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Abstract
The use of protein fingerprinting for the establishment of relatedness among isolates of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subspecies anitratus, isolated from patients in a surgical intensive care unit was examined. Poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to analyze the cellular proteins from whole cell lysates of 14 intensive care unit A calcoaceticus subspecies anitratus isolates and 11 control strains. Antimicrobial susceptibilities and plasmid profiles were also determined for all isolates. All intensive care unit A calcoaceticus subspecies anitratus isolates exhibited identical cellular protein fingerprints, no detectable plasmids, and minimum inhibitory concentrations within ±1 log2 dilution of the mode value for each of the antimicrobial agents tested. The other clinical isolates demonstrated a range of antimicrobial susceptibilities, various numbers and sizes of plasmids, and distinctly different protein fingerprints. These data indicate that protein fingerprinting may be useful as an epidemiologic tool in A calcoaceticus subspecies anitratus outbreaks and this method deserves further study.