A study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology examined sources of bacteria causing surgical site infections.
Researchers analyzed a review of studies showing the relationship between SSIs and marker organisms present at the incision sites. They summarized the relationship of SSIs to the microbiome of the skin and nose.
The study shows around 70 percent to 95 percent of all SSIs arise from the microbiome of the patients' skin or nose. Additionally, the studies of marker organisms suggest that the infecting bacteria are present at the incision site at the time of surgery.
"The occurrence of SSIs can be viewed as a perioperative failure to control the microbiome," study authors concluded.