title: Nosocomial penicillin-resistant pneumococcal infections at a Midwestern university hospital.
abstract: We analyzed 333 isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from adult inpatients over a continuous 30-month period. Twenty-five percent of isolates were resistant to penicillin, and 18% of tested strains were not susceptible to ceftriaxone. For 29 (15%) of 199 evaluable patients, S pneumoniae was isolated from a culture first obtained >48 hours after admission, and chart review satisfied our case definition for nosocomial infection. S pneumoniae isolates were penicillin-resistant in 14 of 29 nosocomial and 34 of 170 community-acquired cases (odds ratio, 3.73; 95% confidence interval, 1.53-9.15; P=.01).
authors.affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St Louis, MO 63110-1093, USA.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Kahn
mesh_terms: D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008923:Missouri / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies