Guest editorial

Abstract

Acinetobacter species - Gram-negative cocco-bacilli with some interesting biological features - were until relatively recently of little clinical interest. Not always easy to speciate, they were not commonly recovered from clinical specimens and hitherto rarely associated with infection. However, these opportunist bacteria have acquired a certain status as an emerging pathogen among debilitated patients, especially those in intensive care units (ICUs). Recent reviews have emphasised the multi-antibiotic resistance of many isolates and the ability of this adaptable group of bacteria to cause infection in more and more hospital patients.