"Local guidelines for antibiotic use, close cooperation with infectious diseases specialists and restrictions with invasive treatment are strategies that can improve infection control and lower the incidence of hospital infections," write the authors. "Hand hygiene among hospital staff is [also] an important factor for preventing these infections."
The antibiotic resistance of the bacterial strains was analysed. 95% were resistant to penicillin, 86% to oxacillin, 48% to erythromycin, 42% to clindamycin, 54% to gentamicin, and 66% to ciprofloxacin. None were resistant to vancomycin, which is currently used to treat MRSA and other infections caused by other antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Resistance to multiple antibiotics was commonly seen. 21% of the bacterial strains were resistant to six, 34% to at least five, and 59% to at least four of the tested antibiotics. "This multi-resistance will lead to higher consumption of broadspectrum antibiotics such as vancomycin, promoting the development of antibiotic resistance."
CoNS normally live on our skin without causing us any harm, but they can colonise airways or invasive devises (such as tubes used in mechanical ventilation), especially in people with weak immune systems. Although these bacteria do not always cause disease, colonisation is a risk factor for infection with other, more dangerous, antibiotic resistant bacterial strains.
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BioMed Central
21-Dec-2003