[Nosocomial intestinal infections in an infant ward. The importance of phone inquiries of the families].
Intestinal nosocomial infections remain a major concern in pediatric wards where they occur synchronously with syncytial respiratory virus infections.


METHODS
During the 1997-1998 winter, we systematically listed the intestinal nosocomial infections that emerged in the pediatric wards of the Clermont-Ferrand hospital. After their discharge, the families of the children who were not hospitalized for acute diarrhea were contacted by telephone.


RESULTS
Among 817 hospitalized children, 27% were admitted to the hospital for acute epidemic gastroenteritis. One hundred forty-four children were listed as having nosocomial gastroenteritis, 96 (66.6%) during the hospital stay and 48 (33%) after discharge, which represents 5.8% of all the admissions. Intestinal nosocomial infections increased with the number of admissions per day and per month, and occurred in 28.1% of the cases of syncytial respiratory virus bronchiolitis that concern children of the same age. Rotavirus was found in 28% of nosocomial infections, yet it was responsible for 85.5% of the hospital readmissions for nosocomial infections.


CONCLUSIONS
Further studies should try to find solutions to decrease the frequency of those concomitant diseases.
Grassano Morin
A
A
Clinique médicale infantile B, Hôtel-Dieu, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
de Champs
C
C
Lafeuille
H
H
Meyer
M
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D001990:Bronchiolitis, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D012621:Seasons