Biomaterial Database

The impact of hospitalization on the aerobic fecal microflora. 1979

J L LeFrock, and C A Ellis, and L Weinstein

Quantitative bacteriological analysis of the aerobic fecal microflora of 75 patients indicated that, at the time of admission to hospital, Escherichia coli were the predominant fecal aerotolerant bacteria. Subsequent fecal samples showed a progressive supplantation of E coli by Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Proteus. At the end of 21 days of hospitalization, E coli remained predominant in only 30 patients. None of the patients had received antibiotics, undergone surgery or been subjected to x-ray studies of the gastrointestinal tract. The cause of the change of fecal flora in these patients is unknown, and no change of flora was observed in a control group of nonhospitalized persons, also studied for 21 days. The appearance of Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Proteus as predominant in the fecal flora of hospitalized patients may be an important factor in the natural history of hospital-associated infections.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007709	Klebsiella	A genus of gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria whose organisms arrange singly, in pairs, or short chains. This genus is commonly found in the intestinal tract and is an opportunistic pathogen that can give rise to bacteremia, pneumonia, urinary tract and several other types of human infection.
D011511	Proteus	A genus of gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria that occurs in the intestines of humans and a wide variety of animals, as well as in manure, soil, and polluted waters. Its species are pathogenic, causing urinary tract infections and are also considered secondary invaders, causing septic lesions at other sites of the body.
D004754	Enterobacter	Gram-negative gas-producing rods found in feces of humans and other animals, sewage, soil, water, and dairy products.
D004755	Enterobacteriaceae	A family of gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria that do not form endospores. Its organisms are distributed worldwide with some being saprophytes and others being plant and animal parasites. Many species are of considerable economic importance due to their pathogenic effects on agriculture and livestock.	Coliform Bacilli,Enterobacteria,Ewingella,Leclercia,Paracolobactrum,Sodalis
D004926	Escherichia coli	A species of gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria (GRAM-NEGATIVE FACULTATIVELY ANAEROBIC RODS) commonly found in the lower part of the intestine of warm-blooded animals. It is usually nonpathogenic, but some strains are known to produce DIARRHEA and pyogenic infections. Pathogenic strains (virotypes) are classified by their specific pathogenic mechanisms such as toxins (ENTEROTOXIGENIC ESCHERICHIA COLI), etc.	Alkalescens-Dispar Group,Bacillus coli,Bacterium coli,Bacterium coli commune,Diffusely Adherent Escherichia coli,E coli,EAggEC,Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli,Enterococcus coli,Diffusely Adherent E. coli,Enteroaggregative E. coli,Enteroinvasive E. coli,Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli
D005243	Feces	Excrement from the INTESTINES, containing unabsorbed solids, waste products, secretions, and BACTERIA of the DIGESTIVE SYSTEM.
D006088	Gram-Negative Aerobic Bacteria	A large group of aerobic bacteria which show up as pink (negative) when treated by the gram-staining method. This is because the cell walls of gram-negative bacteria are low in peptidoglycan and thus have low affinity for violet stain and high affinity for the pink dye safranine.	Achromatiaceae,Achromatium,Achromobacteriaceae,Gram Negative Aerobic Bacteria
D006760	Hospitalization	The confinement of a patient in a hospital.	Hospitalizations
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001419	Bacteria	One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive.	Eubacteria