Outbreak of septicaemic cases caused by Acinetobacter ursingii in a neonatal intensive care unit

Neonatal infections may be caused by various microorganisms, but as far as we are aware, Acinetobacter ursingii has not yet been reported in connection with nosocomial infections of premature infants. During 2 months, 3 premature babies were treated with nosocomial infection caused by A. ursingii at the same ward, and on the basis of molecular typing results the same strain was responsible for all of these cases. Traditional biochemical methods and automatic identification systems failed to identify this bacterium on the species level, and only 16S rDNA sequencing gave acceptable species identifications. The isolated strains proved to be susceptible to all of the tested antimicrobials, including ampicillin/sulbactam, doxycyclin, netilmicin, ciprofloxacin, piperacillin/tazobactam, ceftazidime, imipenem, meropenem, trimethoprim/sulfametoxazole, gentamicin, tobramycin, amikacin, and levofloxacin according to the CLSI standard. In spite of the environmental screening, the source of the infection could not be clarified. One of 3 neonates died, the others recovered and were discharged home after several months of hospitalization.