Staphylococcus aureus: a continuously evolving and formidable pathogen in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Staphylococcus aureus is a continuously evolving and formidable pathogen that has been a problem for both healthy and sick neonates for decades. Much focus over the past 20 years has been on hospital-associated methicillin-resistant S aureus (HA-MRSA); however, a global epidemic because of virulent community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) that has no "fitness cost" for carrying antibiotic-resistance genes has moved into neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Recently, methicillin-susceptible S aureus has adopted some of the virulence factors of CA-MRSA and is an increasingly common cause of hospital-acquired infections in NICUs. This article reviews the changing epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and treatment of S aureus in neonates.
Carey
Alison J
AJ
Division of Neonatology, St Christopher's Hospital for Children, 3601 A Street, Philadelphia, PA 19134, USA. alison.carey@drexelmed.edu
Long
Sarah S
SS
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D012307:Risk Factors; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents