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Infection Clinical and Epidemiological Study
Morganella morganii Infections in a General Tertiary Hospital
M.E. Falagas, P.K. Kavvadia, E. Mantadakis, D.P. Kofteridis, I.A. Bliziotis, E. Saloustros, S. Maraki, G. Samonis
AbstractBackground: Morganella morganii is a commensal Gram-negative bacillus of the intestinal tract of humansand other mammals and reptiles. Few reports exist in the literature regarding infections caused by this organism. Methods: A retrospective study at the 650-bed University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece was performed duringa 4-year period (20012004) to identify and analyze infections caused by M. morganii.
Results: Twenty-four patients had M. morganii isolatedfrom clinical specimens during the study period. Thirteen patients (54%) suffered from skin and soft tissue infections, five from pyelonephritis, three from female genital tract infections, one from pneumonia, one from gangrenous appendicitis, and one from tonsillitis. M. morganii wasa constituent of polymicrobial infections in 14 patients (58%). The patients received various antibiotics, i.e., six patients received ciprofloxacin, four piperacillin/tazobactam, two amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, one ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, one ceftriaxone, one imipenem, and one cefuroxime monotherapy, whereas the remaining eight received antibiotic combinations. Two (both debilitated) of 24 patients (8%) died, despite antibiotic treatment. Conclusion: Skin and soft tissue infection was the commonest type of infection due to M. morganii in our series. M. morganii is commonly a part of polymicrobial infections and can rarely cause fatalities in debilitated patients.
Infection 2006; 34: 315321DOI 10.1007/s15010-006-6682-3
M.E. Falagas (corresponding author), P.K. Kavvadia, I.A. Bliziotis
Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences (AIBS), 9 Neapoleos Street, 151 23 Marousi, Athens, Greece; e-mail: [email protected]. FalagasDept. of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA M.E. FalagasInfectious Diseases Clinic, Henry Dunant Hospital, Athens, GreeceE. Mantadakis
Dept. of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, GreeceD.P. Kofteridis, E. Saloustros, G. SamonisDept. of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases Unit, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Crete, GreeceS. Maraki
Dept. of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Authors Contributions: M.E. Falagas wrote the manuscript and supervised the data analysis. P.K. Kavvadia and E. Mantadakis made a major revision of the manuscript. P. Kofteridis and I.A. Bliziotis determined independently the type and clinical outcome of the infections. D.P. Kofteridis and E. Saloustros collected the clinical data. S. Maraki collected and reviewed all the microbiological data. G. Samonis had the...