Microbiological aspects of the 1980 national prevalence survey of infections in hospitals.

The records of the 1980 national prevalence survey of infection in hospitals were re-assessed from a microbiological point of view. Of 407 records of Escherichia coli, 71 per cent came from the urinary tract while the commonest source of Staphylococcus aureus was from skin infections. These yielded only 41 per cent of the 303 records. Proteus spp. were recorded 166 times, Pseudomonas spp. 115 times and Klebsiella spp. 101 times. These came mainly from the urinary tract but other sources were important. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the viruses were associated with community infections while E. coli, Proteus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Klebsiella spp., Str. faecalis and non-aureus staphylococci were associated with hospital-acquired infections. The prevalence of bacteraemia was re-assessed.