Hostname: page-component-f554764f5-68cz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-10T01:37:17.844Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nosocomial Viral Infections: I. Epidemiology and Significance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

William M. Valenti ,
Caroline Breese Hall ,
R. Gordon Douglas Jr. ,
Marilyn A. Menegus  and
Patricia H. Pincus
William M. Valenti*
Affiliation:
Hospital Infection Control Program, Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New York Infectious Disease Unit and Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York
Caroline Breese Hall
Affiliation:
Hospital Infection Control Program, Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New York Infectious Disease Unit and Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York
R. Gordon Douglas Jr.
Affiliation:
Hospital Infection Control Program, Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New York Infectious Disease Unit and Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York
Marilyn A. Menegus
Affiliation:
Hospital Infection Control Program, Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New York Infectious Disease Unit and Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York
Patricia H. Pincus
Affiliation:
Hospital Infection Control Program, Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New York Infectious Disease Unit and Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York
*
University of Rochester Medical Center, Box MED, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Viral illnesses in Strong Memorial Hospital were monitored over a 17-month period. Using criteria based primarily on the incubation periods for a number of common virus infections, the infections we found were classified as hospital- or community-acquired. Hospital-acquired viral infections occurred on most hospital services; the majority of infections occurred on the pediatric and psychiatric services. Infections due to herpesviruses were seen more frequently in a group of patients aged 14 years or older, while infections in patients aged three years or younger were more likely to be due to respiratory syncytial virus, influenzavirus, adenovirus, or parainfluenza virus. Patients with nosocomial infections due to viruses were hospitalized an average of 9.3 days longer than uninfected controls; thus nosocomial viral infections result in increased costs of hospitalization.

Type
Research Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , February 1980 , pp. 33 - 37
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1980

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

1.Center for Disease Control. National Nosocomial Infections Study Report. Annual summary 1976. Atlanta, CDC, DHEW, Feb. 1978.Google Scholar
2.Bennett, JV, Brachman, PS (eds), Hospital Infections. Boston, Little, Brown, 1979.Google Scholar
3.Dixon, RE. Effect of infections on hospital care. Ann Int Med 89(part 2):749–763, 1978.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.Hall, CB, Douglas, RG Jr, Geiman, JM, et al.Nosocomial respiratory syncytial virus infections. New Engl J Med 293:1343–1346, 1975.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Wenzel, RP, Deal, EC, Hendley, JO. Hospital-acquired viral respiratory illness on a pediatric ward. Pediatrics 60(3):367–371, 1977.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.DeFabritus, AM, Riggio, RR, David, DS, et al.Parainfluenza type 3 in a transplant unit. JAMA, 241(4):384–386, 1979.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Hall, CB, Geiman, JM, Douglas, RG Jr. Control of nosocomial respiratory syncytial virus in infections. Pediatrics 62:728–732, 1978.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Hall, CB, Douglas, RG Jr, Geiman, JM. Respiratory syncytial virus infection in infants: Quantitation and duration of shedding. J Pediatr 89:11–15, 1976.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Brachman, PS. Epidemiology of nosocomial infections. In: Bennett, JV, Brachman, PS (eds), Hospital Infections. Boston, Little, Brown, 1979.Google Scholar
10.Schonberger, LB, McGowan, JE, Gregg, MB. Vaccine-associated poliomyelitis in the United Stales, 1961-1972. Am J Epidemiol 104:202–211, 1976.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Menegus, MA. The role of the hospital laboratory. In: Lennette, DA, Specter, S, Thompson, KD, Diagnosis of Viral Infections. Baltimore, University Park Press, 1979, pp 13–19.Google Scholar
12.Melnick, JL, Rennick, V, Hampil, B, et al.Lyophilized combination pools of enterovirus equine antisera: Preparation and lest procedures for the identification of field strains of 42 enteroviruses. Bull WHO 48:263–268, 1973.Google Scholar
13.Hierholzer, JC, Gamble, WC, Dowdle, WR. Reference equine antisera to 33 human adenovirus types: Homologous and heterologous titers. J Clin Micro 1:65–74, 1975.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Palmer, DF, Casey, HL. Standardized diagnostic complement fixation and adaptation to microlest. Atlanta, CDC, DHEW, 1969, pp 1–56.Google Scholar
15.Middleton, PJ. Petric, M, Hewitt, CM, et al.Counter-immunoelectrp-osmophoresis for the detection of infantile gastroenteritis virus (orbi-group) antigen and antibody. J Clin Path 29:191–197, 1976.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Lehmann, EL. Testing Statistical Hypotheses. New York, Wiley, 1959, pp 126, 163, 173.Google Scholar
17.Center for Disease Control. Outline for Surveillance and Control of Nosocomial Infections. Atlanta, CDC, DHEW, 1976.Google Scholar
18.Ditchburn, RK, McQuillin, J, Gardner, PS, et al.Respiratory syncytial virus in hospital cross-infection. Br Med J 31:671–673, 1971.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19.Spengler, RF. Greenough, WB. Hospital costs and mortality tributed to nosocomial bacteremia. JAMA 240:2455, 1978.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20.Green, JW, Wenzel, RP. Postoperative wound infection: A controlled study of the increased duration of hospital stay and direct cost of hospitalization. Ann Surg 185:264–268, 1977.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed