RESUMEN
PURPOSE: It is known that carriage rates of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) are highest in newborns and that the asymptomatic carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is associated with invasive MRSA infection with the colonizing strain. This study was carried out to investigate the carriage rates of MRSA in neonates with neonatal jaundice. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 545 neonates admitted with neonatal jaundice to neonatal intensive care units between January 2006 and December 2010. Nasal and inguinal swab specimens had been taken from them and cultured for the isolation of S. aureus. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests had been done for such isolates to determine methicillin-resistance. RESULTS: Out of 545 neonates, 318 (58.3%) were colonized with S. aureus and 214 (39.3%) were colonized with MRSA. Results of the antibiogram analysis showed that 65.7% of MRSA isolates were likely to be community-associated (CA) MRSA. CONCLUSION: Based on the MRSA carriage rate of 39.3%, a surveillance program for MRSA colonization is considered necessary in neonates transferred from other clinics or hospitals. Out of MRSA isolates, 65.7% were likely to be CA-MRSA. This suggests that CA-MRSA strains were already present in obstetric clinic environments where the neonates were born. It is thought that MRSA surveillance programs in these environments are also necessary.