Other Gram-Negative Bacteria: Acinetobacter, Burkholderia, and Moraxella

Gram-negative bacteria do not retain the crystal violet stain during classical Gram staining methods to differentiate between bacterial pathogens. Gram-negative bacteria do not follow a monophyletic, phylogenetic pattern, and thus, the designation is primarily of importance in the determination of which antimicrobial to use when treating bacterial infections. For example, the Gram-negative outer cell membrane makes them resistant to several classes of antibiotics. This chapter briefly discusses species of the following Gram-negative genera in the phylum Proteobacteria: Acinetobacter, Burkholderia, and Moraxella.