Acinetobacter baumanniiACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII
DESCRIPTION
Acinetobacter is a group of bacteria commonly found in soil and water. It can also be found on the skin of healthy people, especially healthcare personnel. While there are many types or “species” of Acinetobacter and all can cause human disease, Acinetobacter baumannii accounts for about 80% of reported infections.
Outbreaks of Acinetobacter infections typically occur in intensive care units and healthcare settings housing very ill patients. Acinetobacter infections rarely occur outside of healthcare settings. Acinetobacter can be spread to susceptible persons by person-to-person contact, contact with contaminated surfaces, or exposure in the environment. Acinetobacter is often resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics. Acinetobacter can live on the skin and may survive in the environment for several days. Careful attention to infection prevention procedures such as hand hygiene and environmental cleaning can reduce the risk of transmission.
PRECAUTIONS:
ROOM CONSIDERATIONS:
- Infected or colonized patients should be placed in private rooms or cohorted.
- If neither is available, the infection preventionist, other designee, or management team should review the specific patient situation to determine whether a semi-private room with a low-risk roommate is acceptable.
DISCONTINUE PRECAUTIONS:
- CDC states that we should make a case by case decision regarding when to discontinue precautions.
- It would be prudent to have one or more negative cultures before discontinuing Contact Precautions.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
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