Method for phenotypic identification of Acinetobacter nosocomialis bacteria

The study's purpose was the developing of the method for Acinetobacter nosocomialis bacteria identification by the totality of phenotypic characteristics of the Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab) group based on the urease activity trait.

The research's objects were clinical strains of the Ab group, isolated in 2018—2019 in the bacteriological laboratory of Kirov Military Medical Academy (St. Petersburg), of which were A. baumannii (n = 85), A. nosocomialis (n = 12), A. pittii (n = 10). In addition, 9 strains of A. nosocomialis were isolated from water samples from the Neva River and 2 strains of A. calcoaceticus from the cyanobacterial mats. The belonging of the strains to Ab group was determined by the combination of the metabolic and physiological characteristics of the taxonomic tests for this group. The species identification of the studied strains was determined by the matrix-associated laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The urease activity of bacteria was determined using the microvolume method. We used a medium with urea in the following composition (g/l): Na₂HPO₄ — 1.1; KH₂PO₄ — 1.1; NaCI — 5.0; 40% alkaline solution phenol red — 5 ml; urea — 10—15; distilled water — 1 l. The ingredients, without urea, were dissolved in distilled water, dispensed to vials, sterilized for 20 minutes at 121°C, urea was added in the calculated amount. The medium with urea was added in 0.1 ml to wells of the plate, then inoculated the daily agar culture of the studied and control strains by full loop (2 mm in diameter) and incubated under aerobic conditions at 37°C. The reaction results for a rapid urease activity were determined after 3 hours by a change in the initial color of the medium. The reactions were accounted after 7—24 hours to detect activity urease. It was found that 100% of A. nosocomialis strains and 18.82% of A. baumannii strains had urease activity. At the same time, high activity urease was found only in one strain of A. baumannii (1.17%) and in all strains of A. nosocomialis. Therefore, the presence of high urease activity is of taxonomic importance for the species A. nosocomialis as the marker of distinguishing this species from other bacteria species of the Ab group. The sensitivity and specificity of the identifying A. nosocomialis strains by suggested approach compared to the studied strains identification by MALDI-TOF MS were 100 and 98.83% (x² = 103.2; p < 0.0001), respectively.