Affiliations: Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Pediatric
Infectious Research Center, Shahid Behashti University, Tehran, Iran | Department of Microbiology, Pediatric Infectious
Research Center, Shahid Behashti University, Tehran, Iran | Shahid Behashti University, Tehran, Iran
Note: [] Correspondence: Dr. Shahnaz Armin, Pediatric Infectious Research
Center, Faculty of Medicine, Shaheed Beheshti Medical University, Tehran, Iran.
Tel./Fax: +98 21 22226941; E-mail: [email protected];
[email protected]
Abstract: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as an
important health care-associated pathogen, but community-acquired MRSA has
emerged as a pathogen in children without established risk factors. S. aureus
nasal carriage is a risk factor for infection in humans, particularly in
hospitals, and appears to antedate bacteremic as well as non-bacteremic
infection. A cross sectional study was implemented from July 2004 to 2006 in
Mofid Children's Hospital. Trained technicians obtained nasal swab samples from
neonates. Questionnaires were completed for each and MRSA colonies were
detected. One thousand and three hundred and sixty six neonates were included
in this study. Age on admission had direct correlation with staphylococcus
colonization. History of previous antibiotic consumption had an indirect
relationship with nasal colonization. We did not find any correlation between
MRSA colonization and different variables (such as birth weight, age, sex,
history of antibiotic consumption). These predictors may help inform clinical
decision making when starting empiric antibiotic therapy. First, older neonates
admitted to the ward are more likely to be carriers of S. aureus. When
clinicians encounter infections in this group, especially in areas of the body
where staphylococcal infections are common, such as the skin, treatment should
include an antibiotic that is effective against S. aureus. Fortunately, MRSA
carriage rate is low in our neonates; therefore, clinicians should not start
antibiotic therapy against MRSA until the presence of this organism is
documented by laboratory methods.
