-
Views
-
Cite
Cite
Francisco Diaz Mitoma, Godfrey K. M. Harding, Daryl J. Hoban, Robin S. Roberts, Donald E. Low, Clinical Significance of a Test for Slime Production in Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Infections Caused by Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 156, Issue 4, October 1987, Pages 555–560, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/156.4.555
- Share Icon Share
Abstract
Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNST) are the most-common cause of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt infections. Some of these strains produce a slime-like substance. We reviewed 19 episodes of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infections due to CNST in 17patients. Eleven episodes of infection were caused by slime-producing CNST and eight by non-slime- producing CNST. Shunt obstruction and abdominal pain occurred more frequently when infectious episodes were due to slime-producing CNST than to non-slime-producing CNST (P < .05). Despite appropriate antimicrobial therapy, the mean duration of fever was longer and the failure to eradicate the infecting organisms was more frequent when the infectious episodes were due to slime-producing CNST than to non-slime-producing CNST (P < .025). Discriminate function analysis found, however, that only failure to eradicate the infecting organism (by antimicrobial therapy) occurred more frequently in infectious episodes due to slime-producing CNST than to non-slime-producing CNST (P = .01).