| 1. |
- Saeedi, Baharak, 1972-, et al.
(author)
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Modified pulsed-field gel electrophoresis protocol for typing of enterococci
- 2002
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In: Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica et Immunologica Scandinavica (APMIS). - : Wiley. - 0903-4641 .- 1600-0463. ; 110:12, s. 869-874
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Controlling the spread of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) is an important task in hospital epidemiology. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) has become the golden standard for molecular epidemiological characterisation of enterococcal isolates. For separation of DNA fragments by PFGE, different electrophoresis conditions have been recommended, but none of these protocols allows a satisfactory separation of both small and large DNA fragments of enterococci simultaneously. In this study we have speeded up the preparation of chromosomal DNA and defined new electrophoresis conditions that enhance separation of small and large DNA fragments for subtyping of enterococci with a 24 h PFGE.
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| 2. |
- Tegnell, Anders, 1956-, et al.
(author)
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A clone of coagulase-negative staphylococci among patients with post-cardiac surgery infections
- 2002
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In: Journal of Hospital Infection. - : Elsevier BV. - 0195-6701 .- 1532-2939. ; 52:1, s. 37-42
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are important causes of hospital-acquired infections such as infections after cardiac surgery. Efforts to reduce these infections are hampered by the lack of knowledge concerning the epidemiology of CoNS in this setting. Forty strains of CoNS collected during the surgical revision of 27 patients operated on between 1997 and 2000 were analysed. Strains were also collected from the ambient air in the operating suite. Their pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) characteristics and antibiotic resistance were analysed. Using PFGE 19 of 40 strains from 15 of 27 patients were shown to belong to one clone, and strains from this clone were also isolated from the ambient air. This clone had caused infections throughout the period. Antibiotic resistance did not correlate with PFGE patterns. Using PFGE one clone could be identified that caused 56% of the CoNS infections during this period. A strain from this clone was also found in the air of the operating suite suggesting the origin of the CoNS causing infections was the hospital environment.
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| 3. |
- Tegnell, Anders, 1956-, et al.
(author)
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Changes in the appearance and treatment of deep sternal infections
- 2002
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In: Journal of Hospital Infection. - : Elsevier BV. - 0195-6701 .- 1532-2939. ; 50:4, s. 298-303
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Department of Thoracic Surgery at the University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden, has actively followed up infectious complications of cardiac surgery since 1989. The aim of this study was to investigate whether changes occurred during the 1990s in the appearance and the management of deep infections. This was done by studying patients undergoing surgical revision of infected wounds. We studied 42 patients during 1990–94 and 49 during 1997–98 (total number of operations in these periods, 3075 and 1646, respectively). Pre-operative and intra-operative variables were recorded for the two patient populations. The proportion of cardiac surgery procedures followed by a surgical revision for an infection in the sternal wound increased between the two periods (1.4% vs. 3.0%). Variables associated with the surgical procedures preceding the infection remained unchanged. In the later period, treatment was started earlier (64 vs. 24 days), and the length of antibiotic treatment was decreased (115 vs. 72 days). The incidence of osteomyelitis of the sternal bone was lower (61% vs. 27%). It appears that as the proportion of patients undergoing surgical revision increased, management of the infections became more effective, with aggressive surgical and antibiotic treatment policies and shorter treatment periods. This indicates that in order to evaluate the overall impact of measures designed to reduce infections after cardiac surgery, not only the incidence of infection needs to be followed up but other factors also need to be taken into account.
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| 4. |
- Walther, Sten, et al.
(author)
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Antibiotic prescription practices, consumption and bacterial resistance in a cross section of Swedish intensive care units
- 2002
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In: Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-5172. ; 46:9, s. 1075-1081
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The purpose of this work was to study usage of antibiotics, its possible determinants, and patterns of bacterial resistance in Swedish intensive care units (ICUs). Methods: Prospectively collected data on species and antibiotic resistance of clinical isolates and antibiotic consumption specific to each ICU in 1999 were analyzed together with answers to a questionnaire. Antibiotic usage was measured as defined daily doses per 1000 occupied bed days (DDD1000). Results: Data were obtained for 38 ICUs providing services to a population of approximately 6 million. The median antibiotic consumption was 1257 DDD1000 (range 584–2415) and correlated with the length of stay but not with the illness severity score or the ICU category. Antibiotic consumption was higher in the ICUs lacking bedside devices for hand disinfection (2193 vs. 1214 DDD1000, p=0.05). In the ICUs with a specialist in infectious diseases responsible for antibiotic treatment the consumption pattern was different only for use of glycopeptides (58% lower usage than in other ICUs: 26 vs. 11 DDD1000,P=0.02). Only 21% of the ICUs had a written guideline on the use of antibiotics, 57% received information on antibiotic usage at least every 3 months and 22% received aggregated resistance data annually. Clinically significant antimicrobial resistance was found among Enterbacter spp. to cephalosporins and among Enterococcus spp. to ampicillin. Conclusions: Availability of hand disinfection equipment at each bed and a specialist in infectious diseases responsible for antibiotic treatment were factors that correlated with lower antibiotic consumption in Swedish ICUs, whereas patient-related factors were not associated with antibiotic usage.
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