ABSTRACT
Healthy infants frequently acquire Staphylococcus aureus colonization; however, the modes of transmission are not well defined. In this study, 8 of 23 (35%) infants cultured at age 2 weeks acquired S aureus carriage, but only 1 infant had a family member with nasal carriage of the same clone, suggesting that sources other than colonized family members may account for a significant proportion of cases.
Subject(s)
Carrier State , Cross Infection/transmission , Staphylococcal Infections/transmission , Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification , Carrier State/epidemiology , Carrier State/microbiology , Carrier State/transmission , Cross Infection/epidemiology , Feces/microbiology , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification , Mothers , Nose/microbiology , Pilot Projects , Prospective Studies , Skin/microbiology , Staphylococcal Infections/epidemiologySubject(s)
Euthanasia , Infant, Newborn , Bioethics , Decision Making , Euthanasia, Passive , Humans , Netherlands , Withholding TreatmentABSTRACT
Intestinal colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is common in some groups of hospitalized patients and has been associated with an increased risk of staphylococcal infection. We tested the hypothesis that growth of MRSA in the colonic mucus layer is required for establishment of intestinal colonization. Mice treated with oral streptomycin before oral administration of MRSA developed persistent intestinal colonization, and the cecal mucus layer contained high concentrations of MRSA. MRSA strains grew rapidly when inoculated into cecal mucus in vitro but were unable to replicate under anaerobic conditions in cecal contents of saline- or streptomycin-treated mice. Oral vancomycin treatment reduced the density of 1 MRSA strain in stool but had no effect on a second strain. These results suggest that the cecal mucus layer provides an important niche that facilitates intestinal colonization by MRSA. Oral nonabsorbed antibiotics may be ineffective in eradicating some MRSA strains from the intestinal tract.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Cecum/microbiology , Intestinal Mucosa/microbiology , Methicillin/pharmacology , Mucus/microbiology , Staphylococcus aureus/drug effects , Staphylococcus aureus/growth & development , Administration, Oral , Animals , Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage , Female , Methicillin Resistance , Mice , Streptomycin/administration & dosage , Vancomycin/administration & dosage , Vancomycin/pharmacologyABSTRACT
A 26-year-old female with a history of preterm labor and cerclage placement presented at 29 weeks gestation. Twin girls were delivered at 2917 weeks. Twin A presented with clinical sepsis at birth. Twin A's blood cultures became positive for Actinomyces species on day of life 15. Despite aggressive medical management twin A died at 35 days of life.
Subject(s)
Actinomycosis/congenital , Cerclage, Cervical/adverse effects , Diseases in Twins , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/etiology , Sepsis/congenital , Actinomycosis/etiology , Chorioamnionitis/etiology , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Pregnancy , Sepsis/etiology , Sepsis/microbiologyABSTRACT
We examined the frequency of acquisition of bacterial pathogens on investigators' hands after contacting environmental surfaces near hospitalized patients. Hand imprint cultures were positive for one or more pathogens after contacting surfaces near 34 (53%) of 64 study patients, with Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus being the most common isolates.
