Monday, August 27, 2012
Update on bacterial nosocomial infections.
Update on bacterial nosocomial infections.
Aug 2012
Source
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences & Pathology, College of Public Health & Medical Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Abstract
With increasing use of antimicrobial agents and advance in lifesaving medical practices which expose the patients for invasive procedures, are associated with the ever increasing of nosocomial infections. Despite an effort in hospital infection control measures, health care associated infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality adding additional health care expenditure which may leads to an economic crisis. The problem is further complicated with the emergence of difficult to treat multidrug resistant (MDR) microorganism in the hospital environment. Virtually every pathogen has the potential to cause infection in hospitalized patients but only limited number of both gram positive and gram negative bacteria are responsible for the majority of nosocomial infection. Among them Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococci takes the leading. Many intrinsic and extrinsic factors predispose hospitalized patients for these pathogens. Following simple hospital hygienic practices and strictly following standard medical procedures greatly reduces infection to a significant level although not all nosocomial infections are avoidable. The clinical spectrum caused by nosocomial pathogens depend on body site of infection, the involving pathogen and the patient's underlying condition. Structural and non structural virulence factors associated with the bacteria are responsible for the observed clinical manifestation. Bacteria isolation and characterization from appropriate clinical materials with antimicrobial susceptibility testing is the standard of laboratory diagnosis.
Labels: antimicrobial, drug resistance, Enterococci, escherichia coli, gram negative, gram positive, hospital infection, nosocomial infections, pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus
# posted by Pat O'Connor @ 9:59 AM
Friday, August 03, 2007
Enterococci and streptococci
Enterococci and streptococci
Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2007 May
Amyes SG.
Centre for Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Chancellor's Building, 49 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK. s.g.b.amyes@ed.ac.uk
Besides Staphylococcus aureus, other Gram-positive bacteria have become multidrug-resistant and cause therapeutic problems, particularly amongst hospitalised patients. The acquisition of vancomycin resistance by strains of Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis is of particular concern and has resulted in treatment failures. Some of the infections caused by these bacteria do respond to treatment with new antibiotics that have been released in the last few years, however more options are required as not all enterococci are inherently susceptible and resistance is beginning to emerge amongst those that were susceptible. Resistance to commonly used antibiotics is also emerging in Streptococcus spp., particularly to the tetracyclines and macrolides. In both genera, multiresistant strains spread between patients and between hospitals. In the laboratory, these bacteria show considerable susceptibility to tigecycline, with little propensity to develop resistance, indicating that tigecycline could assume an important role in controlling infections caused by these Gram-positive bacteria.
Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2007 May
Amyes SG.
Centre for Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Chancellor's Building, 49 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK. s.g.b.amyes@ed.ac.uk
Besides Staphylococcus aureus, other Gram-positive bacteria have become multidrug-resistant and cause therapeutic problems, particularly amongst hospitalised patients. The acquisition of vancomycin resistance by strains of Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis is of particular concern and has resulted in treatment failures. Some of the infections caused by these bacteria do respond to treatment with new antibiotics that have been released in the last few years, however more options are required as not all enterococci are inherently susceptible and resistance is beginning to emerge amongst those that were susceptible. Resistance to commonly used antibiotics is also emerging in Streptococcus spp., particularly to the tetracyclines and macrolides. In both genera, multiresistant strains spread between patients and between hospitals. In the laboratory, these bacteria show considerable susceptibility to tigecycline, with little propensity to develop resistance, indicating that tigecycline could assume an important role in controlling infections caused by these Gram-positive bacteria.
PMID: 17659211 [PubMed - in process]
Labels: Enterococci, Gram-positive bacteria, streptococci
# posted by Pat O'Connor @ 8:54 AM
