Stenotrophomonas,
and Similar
Organisms
Chapter 21
General characteristics
Epidemiology
Pathogenesis
Laboratory diagnosis
Acinetobacter
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
Burkholderia gladioli
General Characteristics
Grow on MAC (except CDC group NO-1)
They prefer and grow much better in an aerobic environment
Some group members oxidize carbohydrates to derive energy
for their metabolism = Oxidizers
Others do not break down carbohydrates at all and are inert
or biochemically inactive = nonoxidizers or asaccharolytic
Nonfermenters
Either oxidize glucose or do not utilize glucose
(asaccharolytic)
OF Medium
Test the ability of the organism to use carbohydrates
substrates (glucose) to produce acid by products
Fermentative:
Change in
color in both tubes.
Enterobacteriaceae, Vibrio,
Aeromonas, Plesiomonas and
Chromobacterium
Oxidative: Change in color in tubes
w/out mineral oil (Open tube)
Acinetobacter, Stenotrophomonas,
Pseudomonas,
Burkholderia
Epidemiology
Inhabit environmental niches
Natural & hospital environment
Opportunistic pathogens
Human skin colonizer
Tap water and salads
Pathogenesis
Opportunistic
No virulence factors known
Common colonizers of hospitalized patients
Risk factors:
Immunosuppression
Trauma
Foreign body implantation
Infused liquids
Nosocomial
Laboratory diagnosis
Specimen collection transport & processing: no special considerations
Culture:
MAC, 5% Sheep Blood & CHOC
Blood culture systems, thioglycollate & BHI
Acinetobacter
2nd most commonly isolated NF bacilli
Family Moraxellaceae
Microscopy:
Plump Gram (-) coccobacilli, appear in pairs
Can appear as gram positive cocci in smears
made from blood culture bottles
Culture:
MACpurplish colonies
NLF, might be mistaken from lactose
fermenters
BAPBubble gum colonies (smooth,
opaque, raised, creamy & smaller than
enterobacteriaceae)
some are beta-hemolytic
Biochemical:
Strict aerobic & nonmotile
Catalase positive, oxidase negative
Optimum growth @ 30-35oC; pH 5.56.0
Species:
A. baumanii glucoseoxidizing; nonhemolytic
A. lwof nonglucoseoxidizing; nonhemolytic
A. hemolyticus
glucoseoxidizing; hemolytic
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
3rd most commonly isolated NLF
Isolated from plant materials, water, milk, frozen food & sewage
Microscopy:
Short to medium size Gram negative straight rods
Culture:
BAPlavender-green to light purple pigment with ammonia smell
BHI+tyrosinebrown pigment
Biochemical test:
Oxidase(-)NLF
Positive:catalase, DNAse, esculin and gelatin hydrolysis & LysineDecarboxylase
Antimicrobial tests:
Broth microdilution
Etest
Broth microdilution
Etest
gram-negative, nonfermentative,
Catalase positive and motile, oxidize
glucose and other sugars,
MAC agar: intracellular nondiffusible
yellow pigment
Burkholderia gladioli
Primarily a plant pathogen
found in patients with CF and chronic granulomatous disease
motile by means of one or two polar flagella
catalase and urease positive
oxidizes glucose, is mannitol positive and decarboxylase
negative