Bertil Nyström

Spread of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a burns unit.

Summary An epidemiological investigation of the spread of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a burns unit was conducted by means of a phage-typing technique. During the period of treatment 62 per cent. of the patients were colonised with P. aeruginosa in their burns. The frequency of colonisation was correlated to the extent and depth of the burns. Thirty-three per cent. of the isolates of P. aeruginosa belonged to the same phage type, 1214/109/F8. Endogenous infection from intestinal flora to burn in the same patient was not commonly observed. In several cases P. aeruginosa was present for a long period of time in the ward environment without colonising patients being treated for open, extensive and recent burns. The reason for this is discussed. No predominant route of infection could be demonstrated. It was not possible permanently to decontaminate the environment by disinfection of wash-basins and sinks.

Rifampicin Compared with Penicillin in the Treatment of Gonorrhea

Uncomplicated acute gonorrhea in 200 cases, 100 of each sex, was treated with a single oral dose of 900 mg rifampicin. The failure rate was 12.5%. The treatment was compared with 1.0 MU of benzyl peni

A Comparison between Pivampicillin, Ampicillin and Penicillin G in the Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Gonorrhoea

In the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhoea pivampicillin, a recently introduced ampicillin derivative with improved oral absorption, has been compared with oral ampicillin and parenteral penicillin

STAPHYLOCOCCI AND INFECTION IN MATERNITY WARDS IV. Studies on A Partial Rooming‐in System

Infections and colonization with Staphylococcus aureus were studied in 159 mothers and their newborns. The patients were observed when in hospital, and the mothers were given questionnaires to report symptoms of infection in themselves or their babies during the first weeks after discharge from the hospital. The infection rate measured in this way was high, 27% among the children and 16% among the mothers. Interviews with mothers and reports from child welfare centres that were attended by all children showed, however, that anxious and insecure mothers over‐reported infection symptoms. Such a re‐evaluation reduced the infection rates to 8% among the children and 7% among the mothers.

A Comparison between Cephaloridine and Penicillin in the Treatment of Gonorrhoea

Uncomplicated acute gonorrhoea in 200 cases, 100 of each sex, was treated with a single intra-muscular injection of 2 g of cephaloridine. The failure rate was 10.5 %. This treatment was compared with

Hospital Infection Control in Sweden

In Sweden the 23 counties are responsible for the medical care of their inhabitants. They own and run virtually all hospitals. This system facilitates a county-based hospital infection control system. The infection control team is based in the county hospital department of clinical bacteriology. It is headed by an MD clinical bacteriologist or, in some counties, by an infectious disease specialist. In the majority of cases this is a part-time job besides other duties in the department, but some ten hospital epidemiologists work full-time with infection control. Totally there are only some 50 full-time infection control nurse positions in Sweden. This means that on the average every infection control nurse is in charge of some 2,400 hospital beds, of which some 800 are somatic acute-care ones. These beds are situated in several hospitals, often at considerable distance from each other. The county-wise organization of hospitals facilitates infection control work. Medical and nursing procedures can be coordinated between the different hospitals within the county, and teaching is facilitated. However, the scarcity of infection control nurses makes it impossible to perform ongoing complete surveillance. Only surveillance based on laboratory reports can be performed routinely. In Swedish geriatric care there has been a strong movement not to accept incontinence as a reason for inserting and maintaining indwelling urinary catheters. This has greatly reduced urinary tract infections, and the rates of other infections as well. It has also reduced the costs in this type of medical care. In Sweden as well as in the US and Canada ongoing surveillance of postoperative wound infections has reduced the infection rate. The latest reported figures for clean wound infections average 2%, and for colorectal surgery 8%. The incidence of hepatitis B is nowadays very low in Swedish hospital staff and very near that of the general population.

Survival of BCG in rat tissues

SummaryCulture on Löwenstein medium shows that lungs, hilar lymph nodes and spleens from female albino rats injected intravenously with BCG, and then killed after observation periods up to 12 months, contain viable BCG. These organisms induced granulomatous tissue reactions in rat lungs, indicating that the resistance of rats to tubercle bacilli is only relative.