Abstract
SummaryIntroductionTo evaluate the aetiology of neonatal invasive diseases (positive cultures from blood or cerebrospinal fluid, CSF) due to bacteria other than coagulase-negative staphylococci in a large tertiary care centre and compare with results of surveillance cultures.MethodsRetrospective analysis of microbiological data of children admitted in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a large tertiary care centre from 2005 to 2018.Results230 bacterial strains, 223 from blood and 7 from CSF, respectively, were detected as cause of invasive infections, while 152 were detected in surveillance cultures. Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) was the most frequently isolated pathogen both in invasive infections (18%) and colonizations (23%) followed by Escherichia coli (16% on invasive disease and 20% of colonizations). Other common bacteria include Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus agalactiae for invasive disease and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in colonizations. Invasive infection was due to a pathogen detected in surveillance cultures in 33% of cases. In more than 50% of invasive diseases the identified pathogen was not present in surveillance cultures.ConclusionsThe high percentage of invasive infections due to bacteria not previously identified in surveillance cultures raises doubts about the efficiency of this procedure and highlights the need to search for alternative infection sources. This finding and the high prevalence of invasive infections due to nosocomial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus could be the result of horizontal transmission between patients through the hands of health care professionals, emphasizing once again the importance of applying stringent hand hygiene procedures and isolation standards.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.