Plasmid profiling was used to determine the variability of normal flora isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis in order to evaluate the usefulness of plasmid profiling for identifying pathogens. Fifteen hospital staff members and patients repeatedly had cultures taken from the hands and nares, and multiple isolates were examined for plasmid profiles. S epidermidis isolated from the nares of 15 neonates were also examined. The total number of isolates examined for plasmid profiles was 726. Repetition of profiles was common among the different isolates from a single sampling (one swab). The frequency of re-isolating similar profiles on different days varied from 7% to 13%. Simultaneous isolation of similar profiles from nares and hands on the same individual varied from 0% to 11%, the percentage being lower for personnel. Isolation of the same plasmid profile from different individuals occurred only twice and resulted in an assignment probability of Pa = 0.002 for isolates obtained from different individuals. Significantly more isolates from nares contained plasmids (97%) compared with isolates from hands (89%).Patients who had two or more isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci with similar profiles were judged, clinically, to have infections in 12 of 13 cases. However, the likelihood of re-isolating an S epidermidis strain with a similar plasmid profile twice from the same person at different times was sufficiently high to prevent plasmid profiling from being used as an absolute criterion for infection.

In a study of 5,571 patients from the general surgery departments of 11 Israeli hospitals, the crude overall wound infection rates showed interhospital heterogeneity. The rates ranged from 6.3% to 12.4% (P(X2) = 0.039). Controlling for the different distributions of procedures performed in the various institutions did not reduce this variability. None of the hospitals had either consistently high or consistently low infection rates. A hospital could have low rates for one procedure and high rates for another. Therefore, the decision was made to proceed with procedure-specific analyses. This article details results of the analysis of 1,487 hernia operations. Four variables (old age, infection at another site, incarceration, and introduction of drains) accounted for almost all the differences in infection rates among the institutions. Of the four, presence of drains had the strongest association with infection (P derived from the logistic model <0.001). The risk was consistent in all hospitals and was unconfounded by other measurable factors. In contrast, the pattern of using drains seemed arbitrary and inconsistent, ranging from 9% of patients in one hospital to 41% in another. These findings were used as a basis for discussion with the surgical teams and for the initiation of a randomized clinical trial on the use of drains in hernia operations.

Infection control programs are primarily oriented toward chronicling the incidence of nosocomial infections (NI). Intervention programs oriented toward preventing infection would be facilitated by identifying patients at greatest risk of NI acquisition. We studied the number of comorbidities as a risk predictor for NIs in patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) for three or more days. In 148 patients, we found by regression analysis that the number of comorbidities varied directly with the development of nosocomial infections, as well as with the appearance of new complications and length of ICU stay. Diagnosis-related groups did not adequately account for the variance in comorbidities observed.

Wound contamination with endogenous bacterial scalp flora plays an important role in the pathogenesis of postoperative neurosurgical infections. To assess the effect of preoperative antiseptic shampoos on the emergence of resident scalp flora during surgery and subsequent wound contamination, we randomized 151 neurosurgical procedures into four study groups: group A—preoperative shampoos with chlorhexidine, surgical scalp preparation with chlorhexidine; group B-no shampoos, surgical preparation with chlorhexidine; group C-shampoos with iodophor, surgical preparation with iodophor; group D-no shampoos, surgical preparation with iodophor. Quantitative cultures of the scalp were obtained preoperatively and at the end of surgery, and qualitative wound cultures were taken prior to wound closure. Group A had the lowest concentration of bacteria on the scalp both preoperatively and postoperatively (median range = 30 [0-5.7 × 105] and 0 [0-2.5 x 103] respectively). Group A also had significantly fewer positive postoperative scalp cultures (29%) than groups B (51%), C (58%), and D (53%) (P<0.05), as well as fewer positive wound cultures (20% v 25%, 42%, and 30% respectively). A density of bacteria on the scalp of > 102/4cm2 best predicted the presence of bacteria in the wound. Repeated preoperative shampoos with chlorhexidine reduce intraoperative emergence of resident skin flora and subsequent contamination of the wound.

An epidemic of adenovirus 7a in our neonatal intensive care nursery and intermediate care nursery in July and August 1987 caused the death of two patients. Significant symptomatic infection possibly due to the virus occurred in nine patients, ten staff, and three parents, of whom three patients, three staff, and one parent were positive by culture. As a direct consequence of the outbreak, 58 staff days of work were lost; the intensive care nursery had to be closed to admissions for 19 days and the intermediate care nursery for 14 days. Seventeen newborns were transferred to other hospitals and four mothers were sent elsewhere for delivery. Control measures, which included cohorting of patients, use of gloves, gowns and goggles, and exclusion of symptomatic staff from the unit, appeared effective. Rapid immunofluorescence testing of virological specimens was of little use in monitoring the outbreak, largely because of poor specimen quality. This outbreak further underlines the ease of transmission and high morbidity of neonatal adenovirus infection.

Although the vulnerability of patients with sickle cell disease to infection with encapsulated organisms is well recognized, nosocomial transmission of infection has not been studied in this population. We describe eight serious, nosocomially transmitted infections in four adult patients hospitalized for complications of sickle cell disease, which led to death in one patient and prolonged hospital stays in three others. Although we have not surveyed all patients with sickle cell disease for rates of nosocomial infection, the cases presented suggest that these patients may be at increased risk. Risk can be reduced if health care workers are especially vigilant in adhering to handwashing and other infection control measures when caring for these patients. Additionally, we recommend that a patient with sickle cell disease not share a room with a patient known to have or suspected of having a nosocomial or community-acquired infectious disease.