title: [Nosocomial infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a pediatric intensive care unit].
abstract: We performed an epidemiological investigation owing to the appearance between February and March 1988, of subsequent MRSA infections in our ICU; we also started a checking scheme. At the same time we performed a retrospective-perspective study of 701 patients (310 newborns 391 not newborns) admitted into ICU from 1-1-1987 to 30-6-1988. This study allowed us to settle the presence of MRSA in ICU and the manner in which they become infected. From our study the 4.9% of our patients contracted hospital infections and the 34.2% of these were MRSA infections. The 39.7% of our colonized patients were MRSA. It is really significant the frequency of MRSA colonization (p less than 0.0005) among newborn patients compared with other age patients; in the meantime there is not statistical significance in the frequency of MRSA hospital infections among the two groups. The results of our study show that infections were probably transmitted by the hands of the members of staff and that the reservoir of MRSA are tracheostomized hosts or long term ventilated patients.
authors.affiliation: Unità di Terapia Intensiva Neonatale e Pediatrica, Istituto Scientifico Giannina Gaslini, Genova-Quarto.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tuo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Silvestri
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mantero
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vallarino
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Balzarini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bracco
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pisano
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nahum
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Mazzarello
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fabbri
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
vernacular_title: Infezioni nosocomiali da stafilococco aureo meticillino resistente in un reparto di terapia intensiva pediatrica polivalente.