Bacteriological Aspects of Selective Decontamination of the Digestive Tract As a Method of Infection Prevention in Granulocytopenic Patients

Overview

Journal Antimicrob Agents Chemother

Publisher American Society for Microbiology

Specialty Pharmacology

Date 1981 May 1

PMID 7027923

Citations 21

Authors

H G de Vries-Hospers

D T Sleijfer

N H Mulder

D Van Der Waaij

H O Neiweg

H K Van Saene

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We describe the bacteriological results of a controlled clinical trial of selective decontamination of the digestive tract as a method of infection prevention in granulocytopenic patients. Selective elimination of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae species was accomplished by the oral administration of nalidixic acid, co-trimoxazole, or polymyxin. Yeasts were eliminated selectively by amphotericin B or nystatin treatment. The drugs used in this study were chosen because of their capacities to selectively eliminate gram-negative rods and yeast without affecting the anaerobic part of the gut flora which is responsible for colonization resistance. Compared with the control group, the selectively decontaminated patients had significantly fewer (P less than 0.0005) gram-negative rods or yeasts or both in their throat swab cultures and in their feces. This reduction may explain the clinical effectiveness of selective decontamination.

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