Observations on the Epidemiology of Staphylococcal Infections

A Five-Year Study of Staphylococcal Infections

“…The bacteriologic techniques and n1ethods of propagation of bacteriophages, bacteriophage typing, and antibiotic testing have also been published in detai1. 2 Submitted for publication Aug. 14,1961. Read before the 110th Annual Meeting of the An1erican Medical Association, Section on Preventive Medicine, New York, June 28, 1961.…”

“…A con1parison of these results with those obtained in 1956 has been published. 2 The pertinent findings were that in 1959, as In did not cause such a dral11atic situation relative to severity or recurrence or to transll1ission to fan1ily n1en1bers at hon1e.…”

“…'2 Considering all types of hospital-acquired staphylococcal infections, age seems to have little bearing on developn1ent of infection. 2 This does not exclude the possibility that for a certain type of lesion or class of patient an age di fferential might be found. The data of this study were exan1ined on a yearly basis as well as in toto to detect whether or not there was a seasonal incidence for staphylococcal infections.…”

“…The increase in other phage types, noted in hospital-acqui red infections in the last 2 years, was not produced by the family of 80/81. 2 The reason why 80/81 seems to be waning in its "virulence" is obscure. It might be argued that the immunity of the population has increased, as witness the apparent peak of infections in the community in 1958 (Fig.…”

“…During the fifth year there \vas a marked decrease in the severity of the infections, especially as compared to the first year. In 1956, the first year, the most severely ill patients \vere infected \vith Type 80/81 staphylococcu s, and this \vas the organism most likely to cause the longest and greatest recurrence of infection 2. This fact was true in the nursery as well as in other areas of the hospital.…”