BACKGROUND Needleless intravascular catheter connector valves have been introduced into clinical practice to minimize the risk of needlestick injury. However, infection-control risks associated with these valves may be underappreciated. In March 2005, a dramatic increase in bloodstream infections was noted in multiple patient care units of a hospital in temporal association with the introductio...

Sepsis and septic shock represent the thirteenth leading cause of death in the United States. It has been estimated that there are 500,000 new episodes each year, with an associated crude mortality of 35% [1]. Over the last 4 decades the age-adjusted mortality has climbed steadily from 0.5 to 7 per 100,000 episodes [2]. Approximately one-third to one-half of patients who are septic have culture...

Corynebacterium species are well-known causes of catheter-related bloodstream infections. Toxigenic strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae cause respiratory diphtheria. We report a bloodstream infection caused by a nontoxigenic strain of C. diphtheriae and discuss the epidemiology, possible sources of the infection, and the implications of rapid species identification of corynebacteria.

We report the first known case of a device-related bloodstream infection involving Staphylococcus lugdunensis small-colony variants. Recurrent pacemaker-related bloodstream infection within a period of 10 months illustrates the poor clinical and microbiologic response even to prolonged antimicrobial drug therapy in a patient infected with this staphylococcal subpopulation.

We report the 11th human case of bloodstream infection with Plesiomonas shigelloides. This was the first case without any apparent underlying immunocompromising disease, and the patient was the first adult to survive the infection. We review all the extraintestinal cases associated with this organism, giving special attention to the clinical characteristics of the bloodstream infections reporte...

The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for adult patients has increased in recent years. A retrospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing ECMO was performed between 19 February 1985 and 10 October 1995 to evaluate nosocomial infections. Seventy-one evaluable patients underwent ECMO for a total of 799 days. Forty-six infections were identified in 32 (45%) of 71 patients. ...

BACKGROUND Healthcare Associated Infections constitute an important problem in Neonatal Units and invasive devices are frequently involved. However, studies on risk factors of newborns who undergo surgical procedures are scarce. OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors for laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection in neonates undergoing surgical procedures. METHODS This case-control study was co...

BACKGROUND Nontyphoidal Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne illness. Few studies have explored the health consequences of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella. METHODS The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) performs susceptibility testing on nontyphoidal Salmonella isolates. The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) ascertains outcomes for pati...

OBJECTIVES To describe the epidemiology of nosocomial infections in pediatric intensive care units (ICUs) in the United States. BACKGROUND Patient and ICU characteristics in pediatric ICUs suggest the pattern of nosocomial infections experienced may differ from that seen in adult ICUs. METHODS Data were collected between January 1992 and December 1997 from 61 pediatric ICUs in the United St...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Infections are common complications among patients on chronic hemodialysis. This population-based cohort study aims to estimate risk and case fatality of bloodstream infection among chronic hemodialysis patients. METHODS In this population-based cohort study we identified residents with end-stage renal disease in Central and North Jutland, Denmark who had hemodialysi...