NosocomialAchromobacter xylosoxidansInfections

Abstract

In 1971, Yabuuchi and Ohyama named and describedAchromobacter xylosoxidansas a distinctive gram-negative, nonfermentative bacillus. During the past 15 years,A xylosoxidanshas been infrequently reported in the literature as a nosocomial pathogen. The organism has usually been associated with aquatic surroundings and frequently colonizes aqueous fluids in the hospital environment, awaiting the opportunity to infect compromised patients. Several outbreaks have been reported to be caused byAchromobacter, and all have contaminated fluids as the epidemiologic “common denominator.”Achromobacteris an emerging pathogen that has been recognized and appreciated with increasing frequency during the past few years. It is a microorganism ideally suited to the hospital environment in that it is resistant to many disinfectants and most antibiotics.AchromobactermimicsPseudomonas aeruginosamicrobiologically and clinically, but may be differentiated from the latter on the basis of flagella arrangement and antibiotic suscep-tibilities.