Abstract
The authors study the Dienes effect in 136 P. mirabilis and 2 P. vulgaris strains, isolated from different infection or colonization sites, in 27 spinal cord injured patients, admitted to a Paraplegic Unit, during a 9 month period. It is shown that 7 cross-infection and 18 cross-contamination episodes occurred, affecting 13 of 27 patients, which indicates the great spreading capacity of these microorganisms; 97% of the results obtained were observed once again after 6 months' storage of strains. In addition, in 7 of these strains their resistance to several antibiotics was cured by treating them with acriflavine salts, demostrating that the Dienes effect persists even when resistance to antibiotics is modified; the authors conclude that the Dienes effect is an accurate stable epidemiological tool to identify cross-infections and its origins, and to facilitate the interruption of the chain of infection.
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Herruzo-Cabrera, R., Garcia-Caballero, J., Medrano-Albero, M.J. et al. The dienes effect as an epidemiological tool in a paraplegic unit. Eur J Epidemiol 4, 212–215 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00144754
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00144754