Studies on the ecology of Staphylocococcus Aureus and the epidemiology of Staphylococcal infections
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Date
1959Author
Gould, James Cameron
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Abstract
The differentiation of strains of Staphylococcus aureus
isolated from infections and elsewhere in the environment
has been difficult in the past because of the lack of suitable
laboratory techniques for testing easily recognised and stable
strain characters. This has made the epidemiological study
of staphylococcal infections unsatisfactory and the resulting
lack of precise knowledge of the sources and routes and modes
of spread has interfered with the development of successful
preventive methods.
More recently the use of techniques such as the coagulate
test and bacteriophage and serological typing tests have beer,
more successful in defining strains and are being used more
and more to study the epidemiology of staphylococcal Infections.
In recent years staphylococcal infections have received
more attention than in the past, due to an apparent increase
in their incidence, especially in hospital, and also because
of the ability of Staphylococcus aureus to adapt itself to anti¬
bacterial agents which have been introduced for its control.
There is need therefore for a detailed investigation of the
sources, routes and modes of spread of staphylococcal infection and the part played by antibiotics in their epidemiology.