ISSN:
1435-4373
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract A six-month prospective survey was carried out in a university hospital to assess the incidence ofAcinetobacter baumannii cross-contamination and to identify risk factors for colonization. Clinical isolates obtained during the study period were biotyped and genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis after Apal macrorestriction of total DNA. Casecontrol univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors forAcinetobacter baumannii colonization. One hundred forty-seven patients hospitalized in 36 units were colonized or infected, of whom 52 were in three intensive care units. The urinary (29 %) and bronchopulmonary tracts (26 %) were the most frequently colonized sites. Nine major restriction patterns were identified: two were exhibited by epidemic multiresistant strains of biotype 9 which were isolated from 65 patients hospitalized in ten units. Multivariate analysis showed that case-patients were (a) more likely than noninfected controls to be male, to have been previously hospitalized in another unit and to have had longer stays in the unit before colonization and hyperalimentation; and (b) more likely than controls colonized with other gram-negative bacilli to be male, to have had longer hospitalization, to have received treatment with third-generation cephalosporins and to have had a urinary catheter. The high incidence of colonization withAcinetobacter baumannii can thus be attributed to frequent cross-contamination and the use of broadspectrum antibiotics. Colonized patients appear to be the major source of cross-contamination as epidemic strains spread throughout the hospital.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01690727
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