[Hospital infection in pediatric patients]

Abstract

Hospital (nosocomial) infection means infection acquired by patients while they are in hospital, or by members of hospital staff. It will occur in modes of three categories; 1) cross-infection (infection acquired in hospital from other people, either patients or staff), 2) self-infection (infection caused by microbes which the patient carries on normal or infected areas of his own body) and 3) self-infection after acquisition of hospital pathogens from other people or the environment. Examples of hospital infections, that we experienced, were presented as follows; cross-infection due to gram-negative organisms as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter in neonatal intensive care unit, cross-infection due to viruses as RS in infants with cardiovascular diseases and varicella in immunocompromised patients, and self-infection supervening cross-infection due to potential pathogens including MRSA in immunocompromised children as patients with malignant blood diseases and surgeries. The most important preventive measure for cross-infection would be isolation of the infected or colonized patients and hand-washing. To prevent self-infection, it is essential to maintain the defensive ability of patient including normal flora, and active immunization or prophylactic antibiotic treatment will be needed in some patients. Administration of antibiotics often permits selection and overgrowth of multiply resistant microorganisms and results in serious infections. Therefore, antibiotic policy would be mandatory in each hospital.