Microbial spectrum and antimicrobial susceptibility in infections after gastrointestinal surgery.
Operations on the gastrointestinal tract is associated with a high frequency of postoperative infections. This is due to contamination of the operating area with bacteria from the normal microflora of the intestines. The bacterial spectrum in infections occurring after colorectal surgery, appendicectomy and cholecystectomia are presented. Escherichia coli is the single most frequent species in all these instances. The anaerobic bacteria dominating in the normal bowel flora also cause a high number of infections. Prophylactic regimens in colorectal surgery have consisted of metronidazole combined with either ampicillin or doxycycline. The level of resistance to tetracyclines is higher than against ampicillin and it appears that tetracyclines select for development of resistance to a larger extent than ampicillin.
D000667:Ampicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011292:Premedication; D013754:Tetracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D013754:Tetracyclines; D008795:Metronidazole; D000667:Ampicillin; D004318:Doxycycline