CONCLUSIONS DRAWN BY MODERATOR, S. Gellis

Abstract

1. There is a steady background of low grade infection in newborn infants due to coagulase-positive staphylococci. These may produce infection while the infant is in the nursery or after he has been discharged and may result in disease in other members of the family. Most of the infections in the infant are mild, produce skin lesions only, and do not put the infant at high risk. The incidence of these infections appears to be directly related to the rate of colonization with staph in a given nursery. The rate of colonization can be reduced by bathing the infant with 3% hexachlorophene, especially if the bathing technic gives adequate attention to proper washing of the umbilical stump which is the primary site of colonization. More information is needed about the technic used and the actual quantity of hexachlorophene which is applied since insufficient attention has been given either to the concentration of hexachlorophene or the quantity applied to the skin. Control of colonization is even more effective if hexachlorophene is continued for 2 weeks following discharge from the hospital. 2. Over and above the continuing incidence of low grade mild staph infections in the newborn are epidemics of "hot" strains of staph which produce severe disease such as pneumonia and osteomyelitis. There appears to be no clear indication that all such epidemics are prevented by or terminated by the use of hexachlorophene. Whether or not such failure is related to inadequate application of hexachlorophene is not clear and will require further study.