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MRSA Acquisition Risk in a NICU Setting
J Hosp Infect; ePub 2016 Nov 3; Pierce, et al
Decolonization may eliminate bacterial reservoirs and reduce patient-to-patient transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), a recent study found. This 8-year retrospective cohort study in a level-IV NICU used active surveillance cultures and decolonization for MRSA control. Weekly colonization pressure exposures were defined as the number of patient-days of concurrent admission with treated (decolonized) and untreated (non-decolonized) MRSA carriers in the preceding 7 days. Researchers found:
- There was a 6% increase in MRSA acquisition risk (RR, 1.06) with every person-day increase in exposure to an untreated MRSA carrier.
- Risk of acquisition was not influenced by exposure to treated, isolated MRSA carriers (RR, 1.01).
- 22% of MRSA acquisition could be attributed to exposures to untreated carriers.
Pierce R, Lessier J, Popoola VO, Milstone AM. MRSA acquisition risk in an endemic NICU setting with an active surveillance culture and decolonization program. [Published online ahead of print November 3, 2016]. J Hosp Infect. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2016.10.022.