Objective: Blood-stream infections consist a high proportion of nosocomial infections. Blood cultures and nosocomial bacteremia agents were evaluated in patients hospitalized in our reanimation unit during 1998. Material and Method: A total of 557 blood cultures were observed in automatic culture system BACTEC 9120 (Becton Dickinson, USA) whereas catheter cultures were evaluated according to Maki’s semi-quantita-tive method. Results: Gram negative bacilli constituted 63 % of all nosocomial blood-stream infection agents and 57 % of all microorganisms isolated from blood cultures. Conclusion: As expected in intensive care units, gram negative bacteria were the leading agents of nosocomial bacteremia.
Keywords: Nosocomial bacteremia, intensive care unit, blood cultures