ABSTRACT
In most developed countries, about 5-10% of all hospitalised patients develop a nosocomial infection responsible for increased morbidity and mortality, prolonged stays in intensive care units (ICUs), and a subsequent increased economic burden for hospitals. Noticeable changes in the pattern of hospital-acquired infection over the past two decades have resulted from various factors, including the selective pressure exerted by broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents and environmental factors. This increase reflects the emerging interest of clinicians, epidemiologists and microbiologists in this particular genus. A particular concern has been the frequent multiple antibiotic resistance exhibited by nosocomial acinetobacters, and the resulting therapeutic problems involved in treating patients with nosocomial infections in ICUs. It is well known that Gram-negative bacilli possess a tough outer membrane layer outside the cell-wall peptidoglycan that limits antibiotic access into the cell, and that these bacteria are less permeable to large antibiotic molecules than Gram-positive bacteria.
