Reservoirs of nosocomial pathogens in neonatal intensive care unit.

A total of 256 swabs taken from different areas of neonatal intensive care units (ICU) in KCG Hospital and AMC Hospital, Bangalore were bacteriologically investigated for prevalence, source and spread of nosocomial bacteria. Culture studies revealed growth in 217 (84.8%) swab samples indicating considerable contamination of different areas of the units and sources of infection. Klebsiella pneumoniae (27.3%) was the predominant organism followed by Esch coli (16.8%), Staph aureus (11.7%), Staph epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.2%), enterococcus and proteus (4.7%), Citrobacter freundi (3.5%) and Clostridium tetani (2.4%) isolated from the equipment, cradles, other inanimate objects and environmental surfaces. Out of 312 isolates, monobacterial prevalence was 43.6% in contrast to polybacterial prevalence of 56.4%. Klebsiella pneumoniae (74.3%) was the predominant monobacterial isolate. The indoor air of the units was found to carry common nosocomial bacteria of 4 or more different bacterial species at dangerous levels as observed by colony counts of 15 to 30 on exposed blood agar plates. Almost all sources in ICU revealed the presence of Klebsiella Pneumoniae, Esch coli, pseudomonas and staphylococcus thus forming the potential reservoirs of nosocomial infections to babies and this could be attributed to overcrowding, poor ventilation system and failure to follow basic principles of strict protective barrier nursing.

An outbreak of multidrug resistant typhoid fever in Bangalore.

Six hundred and eighty five blood cultures from children clinically diagnosed as enteric fever yielded 176 salmonella strains showing isolation success rate of 25.7%, S. typhi were 164 (93.2%), S. paratyphi A 5 (2.8%), S. choleraesuis 4 (2.3%) and S. typhimurium 3 (1.7%). Antibiogram of 164 isolates of S. typhi showed triple drug resistance (TDR) in 156 strains (95.1%) to chloramphenicol, ampicillin and cotrimoxazole, and sensitivity of 90.2% and 95.1% to norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin respectively. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of chloramphenicol were between 360 mcg and 640 mcg per ml. Phage types of 38 strains of TDR S. typhi were predominantly E1 and 0 with prevalences of 47.4% and 36.8% respectively in this region. All children with S. typhi isolates sensitive to quinolones in Vitro responded well to these drugs with almost no relapse and hence, the newer generation of quinolones could be considered as the first choice in the primary treatment of enteric fever.

Multidrug resistant Salmonella typhi in Bangalore, south India.

A total of 204 strains of salmonella were isolated in blood cultures during the year 1991 outbreak of enteric fever in and around Bangalore. Out of this, 190 were S. typhi, 6 S. paratyphi A, 5 S. typhimurium and 3 S. choloraesuis. Antibiogram of 190 strains of S. typhi showed resistance of 94.7%, 95.8% and 96.9% to chloramphenicol, ampicillin and cotrimoxazole and sensitivity of 65.3%, 88.4% and 94.2% to gentamycin, norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin respectively. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of chloramphenicol were between 360 mcg and 640 mcg per ml. There was high degree (94.7%) of triple drug resistance to chloramphenicol, ampicillin and cotrimoxazole.