Medical Care

Patient-to-patient spread of B cepacia may be minimized and/or prevented with effective infection-control measures.

Use foley catheters only as long as necessary. If possible, avoid their use in compromised hosts predisposed to urinary tract infections (eg, patients with diabetes, SLE, multiple myeloma).

Preventing B cepacia colonization of respiratory secretions in intubated patients who are in ICUs and on broad-spectrum antibiotics is difficult.

Consultations

Consultation with an infectious disease specialist helps to differentiate B cepacia colonization from infection.

Prevention

Effective infection-control measures can minimize or limit the spread of B cepacia and other organisms in the ICU.

Recovered B cepacia should be considered a nonpathogen unless proven otherwise.

If B cepacia is recovered from several patients in the same area, sections of an ICU or ward can become the focus for further B cepacia colonizations within the hospital setting.

Appropriate isolation procedures rather than antimicrobial therapy should be used to control the spread of B cepacia colonization among patients.

Medication

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Author

Sara Ahmed, MBBS, MRCP(UK), FCPS Faculty, Infectious Diseases, Aga Khan University Hospital , Pakistan

Sara Ahmed, MBBS, MRCP(UK), FCPS is a member of the following medical societies: Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Syed Faisal Mahmood, MBBS Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases, Program Director, Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program, Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Received salary from Medscape for employment. for: Medscape.

Richard B Brown, MD, FACP Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, Baystate Medical Center; Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine

Richard B Brown, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, American Society for Microbiology, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Massachusetts Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Michael Stuart Bronze, MD David Ross Boyd Professor and Chairman, Department of Medicine, Stewart G Wolf Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center; Master of the American College of Physicians; Fellow, Infectious Diseases Society of America; Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London

Michael Stuart Bronze, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, Association of Professors of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Oklahoma State Medical Association, Southern Society for Clinical Investigation

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

Burke A Cunha, MD Professor of Medicine, State University of New York School of Medicine at Stony Brook; Chief, Infectious Disease Division, Winthrop-University Hospital

Burke A Cunha, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Charles S Levy, MD Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Disease, George Washington University School of Medicine

Charles S Levy, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Medical Society of the District of Columbia

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Sections Burkholderia cepacia
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