Nosocomial infections in children's wards

Abstract

1. During a period of 1 year the incidence of infection with haemolytic streptococci was determined among children on admission to, and during residence in, the children's wards of University College Hospital, London.2. The increased incidence among those in residence, 13·1% of whom acquired haemolytic streptococci during their stay, was due principally to outbreaks of infection by these organisms. By the slide agglutination method the majority of strains could be assigned to one or other of Griffith's thirty types and the presumed path of their spread studied.3. The source of the infection in most of the outbreaks was not ascertain-able from the data collected, but in general it did not appear to be in the patients themselves.4. With a few exceptions, isolation by cubicles was an effective measure in preventing the spread of haemolytic streptococci.5. In general the haemolytic streptococci seemed to spread from patient to patient, though the exact mode of spread was not ascertained.6. The clinical manifestations of infection by any one type of haemolytic streptococcus was varied, e.g. wound suppuration, sore throat, pyrexia, otitis media. Many of the infections were “latent”.7. In addition to the haemolytic streptococcal outbreaks, there were two outbreaks of diphtheria (fifteen patients), two of Bact. sonnei dysentery (ten patients and one nurse), one of catarrhal jaundice (one patient and three nurses), six cases of intercurrent gastro-enteritis of infancy and one case of measles.8. In all, at least 104 (or 18·9%) of the 551 patients of these wards developed intercurrent infections, manifest or latent, during their stay in hospital.