Bergen G A, Toney J F
Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University of South Florida College of Medicine, James A. Haley Veterans Affairs Hospital, Tampa, USA.
Crit Care Clin. 1998 Jan;14(1):71-90. doi: 10.1016/s0749-0704(05)70382-1.
Serious infections in the critical care unit are commonplace. However, distinguishing true infection from mere colonization is a difficult and often uncertain process that has been shown to result in both over- and under-treatment of patients. Antimicrobial agents used in the CCU setting are expensive and not without toxicities. This article discusses methods to differentiate colonization from infection.
