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ALTERATION OF SUPERFICIAL BACTERIAL FLORA IN SEVERELY ILL PATIENTS: PART 1
Author(s) -
Gallus A. S.,
Stratford Bryan C.,
Dixson Shirley
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1969.tb105661.x
Subject(s) - carriage , flora (microbiology) , antibiotics , medicine , gram negative bacteria , colonization , bacteria , pathogenic bacteria , hospital admission , gram , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , escherichia coli , pathology , biochemistry , genetics , gene
A study of the surface carriage of bacteria in patients admitted to two general medical wards shows a high carrier rate of Gram‐negative organisms. These were isolated from 17·5% of patients at the time of their admission to hospital. Twenty per cent of patients carried a Gram‐negative pathogenic organism in their noses and throats, and 21·5% carried such organisms on their skin at some stage during their admission to hospital. There is an association of high surface carriage of Gram‐negative bacteria with antibiotic treatment. It is suggested that severe illness is associated with an increased colonization of body surfaces by Gram‐negative bacteria. Staph, aureus was isolated from 24% of patients at the time of their admission to hospital. No evidence of cross‐infection was found.