title: Changing patterns of bacterial nosocomial infections: a nine-year study in a general hospital.
abstract: Surveillance data on 12,944 bacterial isolates derived from nosocomial infections, reported to the Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases of the Hellenic Air Force and VA General Hospital over a 9-year period (1986-1994), were analyzed by the use of a microbial infection control software system. Overall, the isolation rate of Escherichia coli decreased from 25.2% in 1986 to 18.2% in 1994 and Proteus spp. from 5.3 to 2.6%. Remarkably, Pseudomonas spp. increased from 7.2 to 11.3%, Enterobacter spp. from 1.6 to 5.1%, Klebsiella spp. from 5.9 to 7.8% and Enterococcus spp. from 3 to 7.4%. Interestingly, the above phenomenon was paralleled by a significant increase in resistance rate to various antibiotics. Specifically, Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci, though they did not display any significant variation in isolation rates, showed an alarming increase in resistance rate to oxacillin, from 11 and 21% in 1986 to 51 and 75% in 1994, respectively. Enterococcus spp. sensitivity to vancomycin remained unlatered at 90%. The above-mentioned serious shift towards more resistant bacteria should be a matter of consideration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Maniatis
authors.forename: I P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Trougakos
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Katsanis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Palermos
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Maniatis
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Legakis
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000382:microbiology*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D006115:Greece; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D006772:Hospitals, Military; D006801:Humans; D007710:Klebsiella Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000382:microbiology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology