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Proteus Infections in a General Hospital. II. Some Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics
With an Analysis of 71 Cases of Proteus Bacteremia
- JONATHAN L. ADLER, M.D.;
- JOHN P. BURKE, M.D.;
- DIANA FRANCE MARTIN, Ph.D.; and
- MAXWELL FINLAND, M.D., M.A.C.P.
Abstract
In a clinical analysis of 87 patients with nonbacteremic proteus infections and of 71 patients with proteus bacteremia, about two thirds of all the infections were acquired in the hospital. Proteus infections of the urinary tract were somewhat more frequently acquired in the community than in the hospital. Two thirds of the nosocomial infections occurred on surgical wards; 68% of community-acquired infections were in general medical ward patients. Most strains of Proteus mirabilis proticine types 6 and 9 were from hospital-acquired infections; some of the patients with these types were clustered in medical and neurosurgical wards. Most of the respiratory infections occurred within the first 10 days in the hospital; most of the wound infections occurred after the third week. About 30% of all proteus infections and of the bacteremias were first apparent after the fourth week. In 85% of the nosocomial bacteremias, antibiotics had been administered before the first positive blood culture.
Article and Author Information
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▸From the Channing Laboratory, Thomdike Memorial Laboratory, Harvard Medical Unit, Boston City Hospital; and the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Boston, Mass.; and the Public Health Laboratory Service, Central Cross-Infection Reference Laboratory, Colindale, London, England.
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During this study Dr. Burke was an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Epidemiology Program, USPHS National Communicable Disease Center, Atlanta, Ga.
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▸Requests for reprints should be addressed to Maxwell Finland, M.D., Channing Laboratory, Boston City Hospital, Boston, Mass. 02118
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- Received April 23, 1971.
- Accepted July 15, 1971.
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