Prevalence and clinical impact of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization among infants at a level III neonatal intensive care unit

Karen Lavie-Nevo; Jocelyn A Srigley; Ghada N Al-Rawahi; Jeffrey Bone; Horacio Osiovich; Ashley Roberts; Joseph Y Ting

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2019.04.173

Prevalence and clinical impact of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization among infants at a level III neonatal intensive care unit

Am J Infect Control. 2019 Nov;47(11):1336-1339. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2019.04.173. Epub 2019 Jun 26.

Authors

Karen Lavie-Nevo¹, Jocelyn A Srigley², Ghada N Al-Rawahi², Jeffrey Bone³, Horacio Osiovich⁴, Ashley Roberts⁴, Joseph Y Ting⁵

Affiliations

¹ Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
² Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
³ Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁴ Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁵ Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Electronic address: jting2@cw.bc.ca.

PMID: 31253554
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2019.04.173

Abstract

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a well-known nosocomial pathogen in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients. Studies on the impact of MRSA colonization on neonatal morbidities are scarce.

Methods: We conducted a 1:3 matched cohort study among infants with and without MRSA colonization, born between January 2010 and June 2014, in a tertiary NICU to review their demographic characteristics and outcomes.

Results: During the study period, rates of MRSA colonization and bacteremia were found to be 0.68% and 0.10%, respectively. No differences in demographic characteristics, mortality, and major morbidities were identified among infants with and without MRSA colonization.

Conclusions: We reported a low rate of MRSA colonization in infants admitted to our NICU, without impact on mortality and inhospital morbidity. Further large-scale studies are needed to understand the implications and cost-effectiveness of active MRSA surveillance.

Keywords: MRSA; NICU; Neonate; Risk factors; Score for neonatal acute physiology.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Carrier State
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Infection Control / economics
Intensive Care Units, Neonatal*
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification*
Premature Birth
Retrospective Studies
Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology*