Background: The Acinetobacter baumannii group, including Acinetobacter baumannii, Acinetobacter genomospecies 3 and 13TU, is phenotypically indistinguishable and uniformly identified as Acinetobacter baumannii by laboratories of clinical microbiology. This review aimed to demonstrate the differences among them.
Methods: Literatures associated with the Acinetobacter baumannii group were identified and selected from PubMed databases and relevant journals.
Results: Acinetobacter genospecies 3 and 13TU possess a certain proportion in clinical isolates. There were considerable differences in epidemiologic features, clinical manifestations, antimicrobial resistances and therapeutic options among the Acinetobacter baumannii group. Compared with Acinetobacter genomospecies 3 and 13TU, Acinetobacter baumannii with a higher resistance to antimicrobial agents are easier to be treated inappropriately, and present a worse outcome in patients.
Conclusion: The Acinetobacter baumannii group comprises three distinct clinical entities, and their clinical value are not equal.
Keywords: Acinetobacter baumannii; Acinetobacter genomospecies 13TU; Acinetobacter genomospecies 3; Difference.