Semmelweis’ present day follow-up: Updating bacterial sampling and enrichment in clinical hygiene

Potentially dangerous antibiotic resistant contaminants have permanently penetrated at least well-off western populations. The danger is so evident that some hospitals have started to refuse accepting patients who carry such bacteria. Sampling and enrichment measures in hygiene monitoring must be updated as they are corner stones in handling the problems and safeguarding the health care units. Their patients, when exposed to microorganisms are strenuous to treat. Sometimes even this fails, if the infections are spreading in weakened patients. The present review summarizes currently used technologies and the abilities of bacteria to avoid detection. Improved protocols on environmental monitoring in healthcare units are required. They should be comparable with contamination control in industries. Actually these measures in health care should be even stricter because human lives are directly endangered as the resistance of especially elderly patients is low.     

Different opinions of physicians on the importance of measures to prevent acquisition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from the environment

BACKGROUND: Since chronic infection with mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is associated with deteriorating lung function, many parents of young children with cystic fibrosis (CF) fear the first PA positive throat swab as a milestone in the progression of the disease. To reduce the risk of PA acquisition from the environment, they perform preventive measures at home or outdoors. METHODS: In an attempt to evaluate the attitude of CF physicians towards these measures and the respective consulting practice, we mailed a questionnaire to all 65 certified paediatric CF centres in Germany. RESULTS: Physicians from 54 (83%) CF clinics replied. They expressed widely different ideas about the impact of the environment for the acquisition of P. aeruginosa, and recommended a large spectrum of preventive measures. Some physicians proposed only few precautions, which focussed on the prevention of cross-infection between patients, whereas others suggested prevention of any contact with moist or wet places, e.g. use different toothbrushes for mornings and evenings, or do without air-conditioning in the car. CONCLUSIONS: CF physicians have different opinions on the risk of PA acquisition from the environment. Doctors who recommend strict precautions could engender a parental fear of a ubiquous threat from invisible bacteria. The resulting extended safety measures might impair the family's quality of life.     

A European perspective on intravascular catheter-related infections: report on the microbiology workload, aetiology and antimicrobial susceptibility (ESGNI-005 Study)

The laboratory workload, microbiological techniques and aetiology of catheter-related infections in European hospitals are mostly unknown. The present study (ESGNI-005) comprised a 1-day (22 October 2001), laboratory-based, point-prevalence survey based on a questionnaire completed by microbiology laboratories in European (European Union (EU) and non-EU) hospitals. Also included were questions requesting retrospective information for the year 2000. In total, 151 hospitals from 26 European countries participated, of which 78.1% were teaching institutions. Overall, the estimated population served by these institutions was 121,363,800, and the estimated number of admissions during 2000 was 6,712,050. The total number of catheter tips processed during 2000 was 142,727, or 21/1,000 admissions, of which 23.7% were considered to be positive in the institutions using semiquantitative or quantitative techniques. Overall, EU centres received significantly more catheter tip samples/1,000 admissions and had a significantly higher rate of 'positivity' (p < 0.0001) than non-EU centres. Of the institutions surveyed, 11.4% (7.2% in EU countries and 23.7% in non-EU countries; p 0.04) used only qualitative techniques for catheter tip sample processing. On the day of the study, 167 microorganisms were recovered from significant catheter tip cultures (122 patients), of which Gram-positive bacteria represented 70.7%, Gram-negative bacteria 22.2%, and yeasts 7.2%. The five most common microorganisms were coagulase-negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida spp., Enterococcus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. Overall, 19% of catheter tip cultures were polymicrobial. In the case of S. aureus, 40% of isolates were resistant to oxacillin, as were 63.4% of coagulase-negative staphylococcus isolates. Of 37 Gram-negative isolates, 35% were resistant to cefotaxime, 31% to ceftazidime, and 27% to ciprofloxacin. Imipenem and cefepime had the lowest reported rates of resistance (11%).     

萎缩性阴道炎阴道菌群的研究

目的：研究萎缩性阴道炎患者的阴道菌群分布情况。方法：收集萎缩性阴道炎病人５０ 例、绝经前健康妇女３０ 例和绝经后阴道萎缩妇女２０ 例,进行阴道需氧菌和厌氧菌培养。结果：５０ 例萎缩性阴道炎组共分离出需氧菌６５ 株,分离率由高到低前４ 位依次是大肠埃希氏菌（１３／５０ ,２６ ％ ） 、表皮葡萄球菌（９／５０ ,１８ ％ ） 、粪链球菌（７／５０ ,１４ ％ ） 和绿色链球菌（６／５０ ,１２ ％ ） ,分离出厌氧菌５６ 株,分离率由高到低前４ 位依次是拟杆菌（２１／５０ ,４２ ％ ） 、消化链球菌（１９／５０ ,３８ ％ ） 和真杆菌（６／５０ ,１２ ％ ） 。除大肠埃希氏菌的分离率明显高于绝经前对照组外,其余各菌群与另外两组比较无明显差异, Ｐ ≤００５ 。结论：萎缩性阴道炎的菌群分布除大肠埃希氏菌外,其它菌群与绝经前妇女基本相似。     

广州地区女性生殖道支原体感染及其药敏状况

目的： 了解广州地区女性生殖道支原体感染及药敏状况及其临床意义。方法：收集我院妇科门诊５４３ 例宫颈分泌物标本进行支原体培养及药敏分析。结果：本院妇科门诊生殖道支原体感染率６０．８％ ;其中,解脲脲原体感染占６８．９％ ;新一代大环内酯类药及喹诺酮类药对解脲脲原体的敏感性较高;支原体混合感染可使其耐药性提高６～１２ 倍。结论：宫颈分泌物支原体阳性标本的药敏试验有助于本地区妇科门诊合理用药,减少盲目性。     

医学院校食品微生物实验室的安全创新管理

高等学校实验室是师生从事实验教学,科学研究的重要场所,随着高校办学规模的不断扩大,医学院校实验室资源日益开放以及进入实验室人员数量和流动性增加,使得实验室安全工作面临越来越多的问题,实验室的安全问题越来越突出,如何提高实验室安全是高校迫切需要解决的问题,文章从七个方面探讨了食品微生物实验室安全管理的办法,以期使食品微生物实验室安全管理更加规范化,为实验室工作有条不紊的开展提供良好的建议。