Ecologic and epidemiologic aspects of staphylococcic infections in hospitals; summary.

Abstract

From the broad ecologic point of view, the staphylococci must be classified among the more successful microparasites of man. Over the past century many of man's worst parasites have been routed either by. conscious design through intelligent application of preventive measures or by beneficient coincidence of an advancing standard of living, or by both. The staphylococci remain ubiquitous and constitute one of the serious public health problems of today, particularly among hospital populations. Epidemiologic data do not exist that permit a quantitative evaluation of the true extent of this problem, nor is it possible to determine the trends with any accuracy. Only a broad qualitative appraisal can be made. Clearly, the biological balance between man and the Staphylococcus is vastly more favorable for man today than it was a century or more ago when sepsis, pyemia, and laudable pus were universal hazards in hospitals. It is difficult to exaggerate the