ABSTRACT

HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are infections that are acquired through contact with any aspect of health care. They can vary from minor discomfort to serious disability or death and can involve a wide variety of resistant or emergent organisms. Respiratory tract infections include hospital-and ventilator-associated pneumonias which are complicated by enterococci resistant to the glycopeptides; urinary tract infections which are resistant to the quinolones and increased by the presence of a catheter, mostly involve coliform bacteria that can produce extended spectrum β-lactamases (and more worryingly metalloproteinases); infections involving prosthetic materials, as diverse as hip replacement or vascular grafts, are caused mainly by multiple antibiotic-resistant coagulase negative staphylococci; bacteremias and complicated skin and soft tissue infections are associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); and emergence of Clostridium diffi cile is the underlying cause of antibiotic-related enteritides.