[Production of slime by coagulase-negative staphylococci as a marker of systemic infection in newborn infants]. / Producción de limo (slime) por estafilococos coagulasa-negativa como marcador de infección sistémica en neonatos.

We studied 310 strains of Staphylococcus spp. from neonates admitted in intensive care unit from june 1988 to may 1990, with the purpose of establishing a relationship between the slime production and the occurrence of sepsis. The original technique for its determination was modified; this facilitated the performance and the reading of results. Of 105 neonates with isolation in blood, spinal fluid and/or intravascular catheter of negative-coagulase Staphylococcus (CNS), the incidence of sepsis was 57.9% when the strain was a slime-producer, and only 11.6% when the strain did not produce slime (p less than 0.001). The risk of infection was five-fold increased when the isolated was slime-producer CNS. We proved a high predictive value when the strains were identical and isolated from two samples, one of which was blood. These results show that the production of slime is a factor which strongly support the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis due to negative-coagulase Staphylococcus.