Linking Antimicrobial Use to Nosocomial Infections: The Role of a Combined Laboratory-Epidemiology Approach
Authors: L. Clifford McDonald
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1998)

Editorials1 August 1998Linking Antimicrobial Use to Nosocomial Infections: The Role of a Combined Laboratory-Epidemiology ApproachL. Clifford McDonald, MD and William R. Jarvis, MDL. Clifford McDonald, MDCenters for Disease Control and Prevention; Atlanta, GA 30333Search for more papers by this author and William R. Jarvis, MDCenters for Disease Control and Prevention; Atlanta, GA 30333Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-129-3-199808010-00014 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Nosocomial infections are an important cause of increased morbidity, mortality, and health care costs worldwide. Conservative estimates for 1992 were that nosocomial infections increased the annual cost of health care in the United States by more than $4.5 billion [1] and contributed to almost 80 000 deaths. Nosocomial infections may be one of the five leading causes of death in the United States, and we must make their prevention a public health priority [2, 3].Nosocomial infections reflect the worldwide dynamics of health care delivery. In the developing world, complex medical technologies, including invasive devices and procedures, may be introduced ...References1. Public health focus: surveillance, prevention, and control of nosocomial infections. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1992; 41:783-7. Google Scholar2. Haley RW, Culver DH, White JW, Morgan WM, Emori TG. The nation-wide nosocomial infection rate. A new need for vital statistics. Am J Epidemiol. 1985; 121:159-67. Google Scholar3. Wenzel RP. The mortality of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections: need for a new vital statistic? Int J Epidemiol. 1988; 17:225-7. Google Scholar4. Archibald LK, Manning ML, Bell LM, Banerjee S, Jarvis WR. 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[Infusion technique as a significant aspect of public health monitoring of hospitals-a case report]. Gesundheitswesen. 1993; 55:206-7. Google Scholar15. Beck-Sague CM, Jarvis WR, Brook JH, Culver DH, Potts A, Gay E, et al. Epidemic bacteremia due to Acinetobacter baumannii in five intensive care units. Am J Epidemiol. 1990; 132:723-33. Google Scholar16. Grehn M, von Graevenitz A. Search for Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subsp. anitratus: enrichment of fecal samples. J Clin Microbiol. 1978; 8:342-3. Google Scholar17. Corbella X, Pujol M, Ayats J, Sandra M, Ardanuy C, Dominguez MA, et al. Relevance of digestive tract colonization in the epidemiology of nosocomial infections due to multiresistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Clin Infect Dis. 1996; 23:329-34. Google Scholar18. Vila J, Ruiz J, Goni P, Jimenez de Anta. Quinolone-resistance mutations in the topoisomerase IV parC gene of Acinetobacter baumannii. J Antimicrob Chemother. 1997; 39:757-62. Google Scholar19. Hooper DC. Quinolones. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 4th ed. New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1995; 364-76. Google Scholar20. Hoiby N, Jarlov JO, Kemp M, Tvede M, Bangsborg JM, Kjerulf A, et al. Excretion of ciprofloxacin in sweat and multiresistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. Lancet. 1997; 349:167-9. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Atlanta, GA 30333Corresponding Author: William R. Jarvis, MD, Hospital Infections Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E69, Atlanta, GA 30333; e-mail, [email protected]Current Author Addresses: Drs. McDonald and Jarvis: Hospital Infections Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E69, Atlanta, GA 30333. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoNosocomial Acinetobacter baumannii Infections: Microbiological and Clinical Epidemiology Daniel Villers , Eric Espaze , Marianne Coste-Burel , Frederic Giauffret , Emmanuelle Ninin , Francoise Nicolas , and Herve Richet Metrics Cited byClinical and Molecular Epidemiology of Extended-Spectrum β -Lactamase—Producing Escherichia coli as a Cause of Nosocomial Infection or Colonization: Implications for ControlEmergence and Rapid Spread of Carbapenem Resistance during a Large and Sustained Hospital Outbreak of Multiresistant Acinetobacter baumanniiAcinetobacter spp. and other non-fermentative pathogens causing nosocomial bacteremiasStrategies for selecting antibiotics in intensive care units 1 August 1998Volume 129, Issue 3Page: 245-247KeywordsAntimicrobialsDrugsHealth careIntensive care unitsMedical risk factorsMultidrug resistanceNosocomial infectionsPathogensPoint mutationResearch laboratories Issue Published: 1 August 1998 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1998 by American College of Physicians. 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