To learn more about the disease-causing bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, researchers examined the incidence and risk factors for the pathogen in a hospital intensive care unit in a recent study published in the journal Infection Control and Epidemiology.
P. aeruginosa can cause minor illnesses, including ear infections and skin rashes, or more severe infections in those with weakened immune systems. Serious infections of the blood, pneumonia, and infections following surgery can lead to severe illness and death
The study was conducted among more than 1,800 medical and surgical ICU patients in a tertiary care hospital. Here are five findings from the study:
1. Of the patients studied, 213 (11.6 percent) were colonized with P. aeruginosa upon ICU admission.
2. Major risk factors for colonization included advanced age, being anemic and having a neurologic disorder.
3. Of the patients colonized with P. aeruginosa on admission, 41 (19.2 percent) had a subsequent clinical culture positive for the bacteria on ICU admission and 60 (28.2 percent) had a subsequent clinical culture positive for P. aeruginosa in the current hospitalization.
4. Of the 60 patients with a positive clinical culture, 49 (81.7 percent) had clinical infections.
5. Of the 1,627 patients who weren't colonized on admission, only 68 (4.2 percent) had a subsequent clinical culture positive for P. aeruginosa in the current hospitalization.
Ultimately, the study authors concluded, "Prediction rules or rapid diagnostic testing will help clinicians more appropriately choose empirical antibiotic therapy for subsequent infections."