[Microbial ecology and a retrospective assessment of the possibility of predicting an outbreak of suppurative meningitis caused by a Serratia marcescens strain in a hospital for the nursing care of premature infants].
An outbreak of purulent meningitides in a hospital ward for preterm babies, caused by Serratia marcescens strain of serovar 05/13 with multiple resistance, is described. Data on the results of the long-term observation of the ward showed that during three months preceding the outbreak the consecutive spread of the infective strain and its colonization of the intestine of children occurred. At the moment of the outbreak S. marcescens 05/13 was the dominating intestinal microflora in 37% of children in the ward and constituted 30% of the total aerobic flora in the intestine of the examined children. No S. marcescens strains were isolated from the feces and urine of the medical personnel and mothers. The importance of the observation of microflora colonizing newborn infants in the ward for the evaluation and prognostication of the epidemiological situation is discussed.