Enterobacter cloacae infections at the Regional Hospital in Tromsø
Andersen, B.M.; Almdahl, S.M.; Sørlie, D.; Hotvedt, R.; Backer-Christensen, J.; Nicolaysen, R.B.; Solem, O.I.
Tidsskrift for den Norske Laegeforening Tidsskrift for Praktisk Medicin Ny Raekke 110(3): 342-347
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-2001 PMID: 2309176 Document Number: 350619
Enterobacter cloacae was isolated from 69 patients hospitalized at the University Hospital of Tromsø, Norway, during a period of 18 months. The total lethality was 11.6% (8/69) and death occurred most often in patients with a serious underlying condition. Death due to septicaemia occurred in 4/10 patients. Multiple beta-lactam resistant strains were present in 15 patients and were associated with septicaemiae (7/10, p less than 0.0005). Cephalosporin treatment had been given to every third patient (24/69), and nearly half of them (10/24) were infected by multiple beta-lactam resistant E cloacae. E cloacae occurred mainly as a nosocomial infection, since more than 70% of all patients infected had been treated by an invasive procedure prior to isolation of the bacterium. A high number of E cloacae strains were from operation wounds, especially among patients at the Department of Surgery (22/30). At this Department, the total number of E cloacae, and especially the number of multiresistant strains, was markedly reduced during restricted use of cefalosporins.