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Antimicrobial Resistant Flora in the Hospital

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Management of Antimicrobials in Infectious Diseases

Part of the book series: Infectious Disease ((ID))

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Abstract

The role of the hospital microbial flora as pathogens responsible for nosocomial infections has been an area of much debate over the centuries. In early hospitals, established prior to the development of the germ theory, scant attention was paid to any measures aimed at avoiding contamination of wounds, hands, or instruments. These facilities, referred to by Nightingale and others as “pest houses,” often failed to meet standards of simple cleanliness. With the general acceptance of the microbial origin of infection in the late 19th century, and the work of Nightingale, Sommelweiss, Lister, and others, the hospitals of the late 19th and early 20th century began to focus attention on the environment as a potential source of the pathogens responsible for infection.

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Authors
  1. Bruce S. Ribner
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

    Arch G. Mainous III PhD

  2. College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    Claire Pomeroy MD

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Ribner, B.S. (2001). Antimicrobial Resistant Flora in the Hospital. In: Mainous, A.G., Pomeroy, C. (eds) Management of Antimicrobials in Infectious Diseases. Infectious Disease. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-036-0_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-036-0_17

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-5708-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-036-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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