[Outbreaks and sporadic cases of enteritis due to pseudomonas aeruginosa in premature babies and infants (author's transl)].

In 1960 there were two outbreaks of mostly severe diarrhoea due to pseudomonas aeruginosa in the special nursery for premature infants and sick newborns of the Universitäts-Kinderklinik Münster/Westf. resp. Kinderklinik Offenbach/Main. In both cases a single strain of Ps. aeruginosa was isolated from patients with diarrhoea and symptom-free children. The clinical picture ranges from mild diarrhoea to severe enteritis with septicemia. The source of the strain found in the first outbreak was not identified. In the second case the causative strain could be isolated from the faeces of two nurses and also from various objects in the environment. Systemic antibiotic treatment is necessary in all cases, especially in premature infants, which were much more susceptible to serious infection than normal infants. Symptom-free children may be a potential danger because they can become carriers of the pathogenic organism in the nursery. After antibiotic treatment superinfections with Ps. aeruginosa should be recognised as a danger of faecal carriage. The problem of enteritis due to the so called facultative-pathogenic bacteria will be discussed. The best way to get clear information seemed to be by using the quantitative bacteriological analysis of faeces. In all cases of diarrhoea due to Ps. aeruginosa, systemic antibiotic therapy is indicated without any exception in spite of the potential danger of septicemia.