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Gut Microbiology: Surveillance Samples for Detecting the Abnormal Carrier State in Overgrowth

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Infection Control in the Intensive Care Unit

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Abstract

The fundamental pathophysiological event in the critically ill requiring treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) is gut overgrowth. The traditional microbiological approach of culturing diagnostic samples can never detect overgrowth, as these samples only confirm the clinical diagnosis of infection. Surveillance samples of throat and gut are the only samples that allow overgrowth detection. Gut overgrowth harms the critically ill in four ways: immunosuppression; inflammation; infection; antimicrobial resistance. Finally, gut overgrowth has a major epidemiological impact: the higher the salivary and faecal concentrations of abnormal bacteria, the higher the possibility of transmission of these potential pathogens via the hands of carers. Additionally, carriers of abnormal bacteria in overgrowth shed these microorganisms into the environment and determine the contamination level of the inanimate environment. Two solid media, MacConkey and a staphylococcal agar, are inoculated using the four-quadrant method. Each swab is streaked onto the solid media. All cultures are incubated at 37°C.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ageing and Chronic Diseases, University of Liverpool, Duncan Building, Daulby Street, Liverpool, L69 3GA, UK

    H. K. F. van Saene

  2. Faculty of Medicine, University of Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay

    G. Riepi

  3. Department of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Getafe, Madrid, Spain

    P. Garcia-Hierro & B. Ramos

  4. Department for Clinical and Molecular Microbiology, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    A. Budimir

Authors
  1. H. K. F. van Saene
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  2. G. Riepi
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  3. P. Garcia-Hierro
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  4. B. Ramos
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  5. A. Budimir
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to H. K. F. van Saene .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Institute of Aging and Chronic Diseases, University Liverpool, Daulby Street, Liverpool, L69 3GA, United Kingdom

    Hendrick K.F. van Saene

  2. , Dept. Emergency, Hospital Gorizia, Via Vittorio Veneto 171, Gorizia, 34170, Italy

    Luciano Silvestri

  3. , Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Hospital Universitario de Getafe, Carretera de Toledo km 12.5, Getafe, 28045, Spain

    Miguel A. de la Cal

  4. Policlinico di Catania, UCO di Anestesia e Rianimazione, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania, 95100, Italy

    Antonino Gullo

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van Saene, H.K.F., Riepi, G., Garcia-Hierro, P., Ramos, B., Budimir, A. (2011). Gut Microbiology: Surveillance Samples for Detecting the Abnormal Carrier State in Overgrowth. In: van Saene, H., Silvestri, L., de la Cal, M., Gullo, A. (eds) Infection Control in the Intensive Care Unit. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-1601-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-1601-9_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Milano

  • Print ISBN: 978-88-470-1600-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-88-470-1601-9

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