Genetic population structure of coagulase-negative staphylococci associated with carriage and disease in preterm infants.
Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are a leading cause of sepsis in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting. To evaluate the hypothesis that isolates of CoNS associated with disease belong to hypervirulent clones, as opposed to being drawn randomly from the neonatal unit carriage flora, we conducted a prospective, case-controlled study in a busy NICU. Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), we compared the population structures of CoNS isolates associated with bacteremia with isolates from the skin of healthy and infected neonates and with blood culture contaminants. Endemic clones of CoNS were identified, but there was no difference in the distribution of the 6 species or 73 PFGE types between the carriage and disease isolate groups; this suggests that hypervirulent clones with an enhanced ability to cause disease were not present in this NICU setting.
de Silva
G D
GD
Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Justice
A
A
Wilkinson
A R
AR
Buttery
J
J
Herbert
M
M
Day
N P
NP
Peacock
S J
SJ
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000382:microbiology*; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003030:Coagulase; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003030:Coagulase