Urinary Tract Infections Caused by Antibiotic-Resistant Coliform Bacilli

• Nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections are receiving increasing attention and are often serious when they occur, since micro-organisms that become widely disseminated in the hospital environment are frequently resistant to commonly used chemotherapeutic agents. The chief interest in recent years has centered around infections caused by Micrococcus (Staphylococcus) pyogenes var. aureus. The present study indicates that infections with antibiotic-resistant coliform bacteria may also occur commonly in hospitals. It is well known that catheterization and instrumentation of the urinary tract frequently lead to urinary tract infections, but the relationship of such infections to organisms present in the hospital environment is not commonly appreciated. The authors were unable to determine the source of the resistant bacteria and the exact mode of infection; the catheters themselves, and the solutions used to irrigate them, could not be incriminated. Blankets, mattresses, and possibly the nasopharyngeal flora of hospital personnel appeared more likely possibilities. Results of antibiotic sensitivity tests from other hospital laboratories indicate that hospital-acquired infections with antibiotic-resistant coliform bacteria may be a widespread problem, and one that is largely unrecognized.