{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.025486250838363516, 'fraction_numerical': 0.01676727028839705, 'mean_word_length': 5.016129032258065, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 1, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Oral and tracheal microbiota of pediatric and adolescent patients in an intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE
To characterize the oral and tracheal microbiota of patients admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).


METHODS AND RESULTS
This is an exploratory study conducted on patients aged 5 months to 13 years admitted to the PICU of a referral hospital. Two microbiological samples were collected with a swab in the posterior region of the tongue from patients receiving spontaneous and mechanical ventilation within the first 24 and 48 h after admission to the PICU. Among patients receiving mechanical ventilation, tracheal secretion was also collected in a second sampling. The caries experience was evaluated using the DMFT/dmf index, and the quality of oral hygiene was assessed based on the visual plaque index (VPI). A questionnaire was applied to obtain data on hospital routine and sample characteristics. The DMFT/dmf index was 1.66 (SD = 2.18) and the mean VPI was 43.03 (SD = 36.93). The most prevalent microorganisms were Klebsiella pneumoniae (15%). Oral colonization by opportunistic pathogens was significantly higher in patients receiving mechanical ventilation compared to those on spontaneous ventilation (p < .05). There was no relationship of VPI or DMFT/dmf with oral microbiological changes.


CONCLUSION
The results indicate that PICU patients are susceptible to colonization by respiratory and opportunistic pathogens since the first hours of hospitalization.