Nosocomial infections due to gram-negative bacilli in compromised hosts: considerations for prevention and therapy.

Compromised patients are predisposed to the acquisition of the more resistant gram-negative bacilli from the hospital environment. In compromised hosts, infection due to gram-negative bacilli is almost always nosocomial, a result of the severity of the underlying disease and of frequent and/or prolonged hospitalization. At present, only careful handwashing by hospital personnel and diets with low microbial content for patients can minimize colonization in hospitalized compromised patients. The level of colonization by gram-negative bacilli can also be reduced by administering effective antibiotics to the oropharyngeal area by aerosol or orally.