Clinical Consideration of Surveillance Cultures for Out-born Neonates Transferred to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Purpose: To identify trends in bacterial organisms and antimicrobial susceptibilities for transmission by outborn neonates, it is important to perform surveillance cultures. The aim of this study was to investigate major organisms and any other clinical factors through surveillance cultures of out-born neonates who transferred to neonatal intensive care units (NICU). Methods: This study is a retrospective collected data among 189 out-born neonates admitted to NICU from Mar. 2012, to Feb. 2014. Surveillance cultures were obtained routinely from both nasal and axillary region and inoculated CHROM agar™ MRSA immediately. Bacterial culture identification and antibiotic susceptibility were carried out using Vitek II ID-GPI card. Results: The most prevalent organisms isolated from the nasal surveillance cultures were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) (each 17 cases vs. 11 cases); both vancomycin and rifampin were susceptible. Only 1 case of S. epidermidis has same result in blood and surveillance culture. Demographic, clinical and healthcare related parameters according to surveillance culture results were compared, but no obvious association was apparent on above parameters. Nevertheless, positive surveillance culture group showed lower birth weight and longer duration until transferred to NICU. Conclusion: In our surveillance culture study showed that MRSA and CoNS were the most common organisms in out-born neonates; both were penicillin- and oxacillin-resistant on antibiotic susceptibility testing. Although there is no statistical meaning, positive surveillance culture group showed relatively lower birth weight and longer duration from birth to NICU arrival. These findings were contributed to obtain a reliable policy of the transmission in NICU.