About Acinetobactor baumannii:
- Acinetobacter is a group of bacteria (germs) commonly found in the environment, like in soil and water.
- While there are many types, the most common cause of infections is Acinetobacter baumannii, which accounts for most Acinetobacter infections in humans.
- It is a Gram-negative bacteria that often displays multidrug resistance.
- It can cause infections in the blood, urinary tract, and lungs (pneumonia), or in wounds in other parts of the body.
- It can also “colonize” or live in a patient without causing infections or symptoms, especially in respiratory secretions (sputum) or open wounds.
- These germs are frequent causes of hospital-acquired infections, especially in intensive care units (ICUs).
- It is highly contagious.
Gram-Positive vs. Gram-Negative Bacteria:
- Gram-positive bacteria have cell walls made of a thick layer of peptidoglycan.
- The cell walls of gram-negative bacteria contain only a thin layer of peptidoglycan, but they also have an outer membrane that is absent in gram-positive bacteria.
- Gram staining is a technique that uses violet dye to distinguish between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
- If the bacteria are gram-positive, the thick, peptidoglycan layer in their cell walls will retain the dye and they will stain violet.
- If the bacteria are gram-negative, the dye will leak out of the thin peptidoglycan layer, and the bacteria will stain red.
