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Previous Volume 328:209-210 January 21, 1993 Number 3 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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To the Editor: Selective decontamination of the digestive tract is widely used to prevent nosocomial pneumonia in patients receiving mechanical ventilation, although its benefits are unproved¹. Objections to this procedure concern the possible selection of microorganisms resistant to the antibiotics used, rather than adverse effects². We report eight cases of pneumonia or bacteremia caused by Enterococcus faecalis, as a possible side effect of the prophylactic use of nonabsorbable antimicrobial agents.

Sixty-one patients who were receiving mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit were given topical antimicrobial prophylaxis for the oropharynx and stomach. Tobramycin (40 mg in a 5-ml . . . [Full Text of this Article]

References

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Dube, L., Caillon, J., Gras-Le Guen, C., Jacqueline, C., Kergueris, M.-F., Granry, J.-C., Potel, G., Bugnon, D. (2003). Simulation of Human Gentamicin Pharmacokinetics in an Experimental Enterococcus faecalis Endocarditis Model. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 47: 3663-3666 [Abstract] [Full Text]