Differences in skin flora between inpatients and chronically ill outpatients

Background Changes in skin flora have been reported among hospitalized and critically ill patients, but little is known about whether these changes are associated with hospitalization or with chronic, serious illness. The purpose of this survey was to compare skin flora of chronically ill outpatients and inpatients.Methods Aerobic skin flora of forearm and midsternum of 250 patients in an intensive care unit and 251 outpatients was sampled by contact plates.Results Mean colony-forming units were 160.6, forearm; 229. 4, sternum (P Conclusions This comparison provides data to differentiate between effects of hospitalization and effects of chronic illness on skin flora.