XXXX in three community-based nursing homes.

@entity1 @entity697 @entity294 @entity1902 @entity2733 @entity3655 @entity2718
BACKGROUND: @entity697 is a cause of considerable morbidity and mortality in the elderly population. A prospective assessment of acute @entity294 in three community-based long-stay homes is described. METHODS: A cohort study of @entity697 was performed in three community-based nursing homes, involving 572 residents over an 8-month period. @entity294 cases were enrolled on the basis of the acute onset of loose stools of > or = 24 hours, as well as one of the following: a rectal temperature of > or = 100 degrees F, dehydration, positive occult blood, > or = 48 hours duration, or as a part of any outbreak. Stool cultures for @entity2718 were performed on all NH 1 @entity1 . RESULTS: Fifty-three @entity1902 cases were ascertained, consistent with incidence rates of 14.6, 36.4, and 6.7 cases/100 @entity1 years in NH 1, @entity2733 , and @entity3655 , respectively. Requiring a Foley catheter (OR = 2.57; 95% CI, 0.93, 7.09) increased @entity294 risk. Six @entity2718 enteritis cases and an episode attributable to Aeromonas/Pleisomonas species were diagnosed. One @entity2718 @entity294 case was imported from hospital to NH 1. Ten of 12 fecal excretors resided in close geographic clusters in NH 1, where a majority of the latter were mobile and incontinent of stool. CONCLUSIONS: @entity697 was a common disease in the study nursing homes, for which specific risk factors were identified. A predominant role for @entity2718 in the taxonomy of nursing home @entity294 was suggested.
