STAPHYLOCOCCI IN BRONCHI OF HOSPITAL PATIENTS: AN AUTOPSY STUDY

Abstract

Swabs were taken from the main bronchi of hospital patients at routine autopsy, and cultures examined for the presence of coagulase-positive staphylococci. The proportion of patients yielding positive cultures increased steadily with the length of stay in hospital. There was no correlation between positive cultures and age or sex. The results of this study suggest that bronchi of long-stay patients may form a significant source of dissemination of staphylococci producing "hospital" infections.