Acinetobacter [asz−in−ée−toe–back−ter] is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of Gram-negative

Gram-negative

Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain crystal violet dye in the Gram staining protocol. In a Gram stain test, a counterstain is added after the crystal violet, coloring all Gram-negative bacteria with a red or pink color...

 bacteria belonging to the Gammaproteobacteria

Gammaproteobacteria

Gammaproteobacteria is a class of several medically, ecologically and scientifically important groups of bacteria, such as the Enterobacteriaceae , Vibrionaceae and Pseudomonadaceae. An exceeding number of important pathogens belongs to this class, e.g...

. Acinetobacter species are non-motile

Motility

Motility is a biological term which refers to the ability to move spontaneously and actively, consuming energy in the process. Most animals are motile but the term applies to single-celled and simple multicellular organisms, as well as to some mechanisms of fluid flow in multicellular organs, in...

 and oxidase-negative

Oxidase test

The oxidase test is a test used in microbiology to determine if a bacterium produces certain cytochrome c oxidases. It uses disks impregnated with a reagent such as N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine or N,N-Dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine , which is also a redox indicator...

, and occur in pairs under magnification.

They are important soil organisms

Soil life

Soil life or soil biota is a collective term for all the organisms living within the soil.-Overview:In balanced soil, plants grow in an active and steady environment. The mineral content of the soil and its heartiful structure are important for their well-being, but it is the life in the earth that...

, where they contribute to the mineralization

Mineralization (soil)

Mineralization in soil science, is when the chemical compounds in organic matter decompose or are oxidized into plant-accessible forms,. Mineralization is the opposite of immobilization....

 of, for example, aromatic compounds

Aromaticity

In organic chemistry, Aromaticity is a chemical property in which a conjugated ring of unsaturated bonds, lone pairs, or empty orbitals exhibit a stabilization stronger than would be expected by the stabilization of conjugation alone. The earliest use of the term was in an article by August...

. Acinetobacter are a key source of infection in debilitated patients in the hospital, in particular the species Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii is a species of pathogenic bacteria, referred to as an aerobic gram-negative bacterium, that is resistant to most antibiotics. As a result of its resistance to drug treatment, some estimates state the disease is killing tens of thousands of U.S...

.
Acinetobacter is a compound word from scientific Greek, meaning 'nonmotile rod'.