Microorganisms isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid in a general hospital. Clinical implications

This study is a review of 1,040 significant positive blood cultures from 415 patients, and 44 positive cerebrospinal fluid cultures from 44 patients treated at the Meir General Hospital during the period 1976-78. The most frequent isolates from blood cultures were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The most frequent isolates from cerebrospinal fluid cultures were Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis, which were present in similar proportions. E. coli was predominant in the division of medicine, Staph. aureus in the division of pediatrics and Klebsiella in the division of surgery. Fifty percent of the E. coli isolates were sensitive to ampicillin and carbenicillin; about 80%, to cephalothin and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim; and 100%, to gentamicin. Only 7% of the Klebsiella isolates were sensitive to apicillin; 72% were sensitive to cephalothin and 87%, to gentamicin. Only 18% of Staph. aureus isolates were sensitive to penicillin, but about 95% were sensitive to methicillin or cephalothin. Two of 10 salmonellae isolates and 13% of H. influenzae were resistant to ampicillin.