[Preliminary result on the nosocomial infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome in one hospital of Beijing].
OBJECTIVE
To study the transmission route of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) nosocomial infection.


METHODS
Ten identified SARS patients were selected from a general hospital in March. Survey was carried out through a standardized questionnaire provided by Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Contents of the questionnaire would include: history of contact with SARS patient, route of infection, methods used for protection and so on.


RESULTS
(1) Distribution os SARS patients were confined to 3 wards: 4, 5, and 6 on the 7, 8, 12, 13 and 14 floors in the west unit of the inpatient building. Most of the inpatients were elderly and having severe original diseases. (2) Index patients were the first generation source of transmission and they infected inpatients and medical staff, making them the second generation. People with latent infection who had close contact with SARS patients might also serve as the possible source of transmission. (3) The major transmission routes were: near distant droplet infection and close contact infection. There was also a clue to the probability of aerosol or droplet nuclei infection through air-conditioning and ventilation system.


CONCLUSIONS
Nosocomial infection appeared to be the main characteristic of the SARS epidemic in the early stage of this hospital. Other than close contact and near space airborne transmission of SARS virus, the possibility of long-distance aerosol transmission called for further epidemiological and experimental studies in the future.
He
Yao
Y
Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China.
Jiang
Yong
Y
Xing
Yu-bin
YB
Zhong
Guang-lin
GL
Wang
Lei
L
Sun
Zheng-ji
ZJ
Jia
Hong
H
Chang
Qing
Q
Wang
Yong
Y
Ni
Bin
B
Chen
Shi-ping
SP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D016358:Contact Tracing; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000635:transmission*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires