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Differences in skin flora between inpatients and chronically ill outpatients
E L Larson1, A B Cronquist, S Whittier
1Columbia University Health Sciences Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Heart & Lung : the Journal of Critical Care
|July 19, 2000
Summary
Hospitalization alters skin flora, increasing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Outpatients show higher micrococci, gram-negative bacteria, and yeast. This study differentiates hospitalization effects from chronic illness effects on skin flora.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Dermatology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Changes in skin flora are observed in hospitalized patients.
- Little is known about whether these changes are due to hospitalization or chronic illness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the skin flora of chronically ill outpatients and inpatients.
- To differentiate the effects of hospitalization from chronic illness on skin flora.
Main Methods:
- Aerobic skin flora of the forearm and midsternum were sampled using contact plates.
- 250 intensive care unit patients and 251 outpatients participated in the survey.
Main Results:
- Patients in medical intensive care units had higher arm bacterial counts (OR, 2.48).
- Black patients had higher sternal bacterial counts (OR, 1.92).
- Inpatients were more likely to carry methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
- Outpatients had a higher prevalence of micrococci, gram-negative bacteria, and yeast.
Conclusions:
- This study provides data to distinguish between the effects of hospitalization and chronic illness on skin flora.
- Findings highlight differences in skin microbiota composition between inpatient and outpatient settings.
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