Phenotypic tests are used routinely in diagnostic labs for identification of Acinetobacter spp. Since their results are LBH589 ic50 sometimes ambiguous, molecular identification was also performed. In our study phenotypic and genotypic methods were complementary in providing accurate identification. The samples were obtained over a period of 6 months (between July 2007 and January 2008) from clinical specimens that included blood, skin and soft tissues (pus, aspirates and swabs), urine, CSF, respiratory tract (sputum,

bronchoalveolar lavages, tracheal aspirates, endotracheal tube secretions and suction catheter tips) and others (synovial fluid). The specimens were collected from four hospitals, namely Government Wenlock Hospital, Lady Goschen Hospital, University Medical Center, Kasturba Medical Hospital,) and one private hospital. All of these hospitals are located in Mangalore, on the southwest coast of India. The single important characteristic of the isolates included in the study was that they were all multidrug resistant according

to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute disc method (14). Genomic DNA was extracted from the isolates according to the method of Ausubel et al. (15). The DNA pellets were re-suspended in 100 μL of sterile TE buffer (pH: 8.0) and the concentration and purity checked using a NanoDrop spectrophotometer (ND-1000, V3.3.0, Wilmington, DE, USA). Mephenoxalone Multiplex PCR assay as described previously (16) was used selleck compound to detect the presence of

blaOXA-23-like, blaOXA-24-like, blaOXA-51-like and blaOXA-58-like genes in the Acinetobacter spp. The primer sequences and gene classes amplified are indicated in Table 1. Single target PCR was also performed to detect blaOXA-23-like gene among a few of the isolates as previously described (17). Products from two representative isolates were sequenced and compared to similar sequences in the GenBank. The presence of insertion sequence ISAba1 in the genome and its location upstream of blaOXA-58, blaOXA-23 and blaOXA-51 was studied in the isolates as previously described (18, 19). The ability of the isolates to form biofilm was determined as per the protocol of Rodriguez-Bano et al. (20) with some minor modifications. Overnight cultures were inoculated into Luria Bertani broth, diluted to 1:100 and incubated for 24 hr at 37°C without shaking. Each test was performed in triplicate in 96 well microtitre plates. Negative controls used in each plate were also included in triplicate. Biofilms were stained with crystal violet 1% (w/v) and quantified by the ELX800 Universal microplate reader (Bio Tek Instruments, Winooski, VT, USA) at OD630 nm after solubilization with 33% glacial acetic acid.