title: [Microbiology of surgical site infections in abdominal tract surgery patients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Knowledge of the microbiology of surgical infections after abdominal surgery can be of use when prescribing effective empirical antibiotic treatments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of surgical infections after abdominal surgery in patients enrolled in the Prevalence of Infections in Spanish Hospitals (EPINE) corresponding to the years 1999-2006.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the period of the study, 2,280 patients who were subjected to upper or lower abdominal tract surgery were diagnosed with an infection at the surgical site (SSI). Eight hundred and eighty three patients (37%) had an operation of the upper abdominal tract (gastric, hepatobiliary, and pancreatic surgery) and 1,447 patients (63%) lower abdominal tract surgery (appendectomy and colon surgery). A total of 2,617 bacterial species were isolated in the 2,280 patients included in the analysis. The most frequent microorganisms isolated were, Escherichia coli (28%), Enterococcus spp. (15%), Streptococcus spp. (8%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7%), and Staphylococcus aureus (5%, resistant to methicillin 2%). In the surgical infections after upper abdominal tract procedures, there were a higher proportion of isolations of staphylococci, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter spp., Acinetobacter spp. and Candida albicans and less Escherichia coli, Bacteroides fragilis and Clostridium spp.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The microbiology of SSI produced after upper abdominal tract surgery did not show any significant differences compared to those of the lower tract. However, more cases of SSI were detected due to staphylococci, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter spp., Acinetobacter spp. and Candida albicans and less caused by Escherichia coli, Bacteroides fragilis and Clostridium spp.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna (Unidad de Infecciosas), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro-Majadahonda, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Múñez
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Teresa Álvarez de
authors.initials: TÁ
authors.lastname: Espejo
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vaqué
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Payá
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pastor
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Asensio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D055815:Young Adult