Survey of multiply resistant Providencia stuartii in a chronic care unit.

Providencia stuartii was cultured over a 4-year period from the urinary tract, throat, perineum, axilla and stools of patients in a long-term chronic care unit, the most common site of colonization being the urinary tract. A total of 17 patients had Prov. stuartii bacteraemia and manipulation of the urinary tract preceded bacteraemia in 10 cases. Eighty-two per cent of the patients had long-term urinary tract colonization from 1 month to 4 years. Although most isolates were resistant to all aminoglycosides except amikacin, the organisms were all susceptible to thienamycin, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, ceftizoxime and moxalactam.