title: Comparison between qualitative and semiquantitative catheter-tip cultures: laboratory diagnosis of catheter-related infection in newborns.
abstract: This prospective study evaluated semiquantitative and qualitative catheter-culture methods for diagnosis of catheter-related infection (CRI) in newborns. Catheter tips from newborns admitted to the Neonatal Unit of the University Hospital of the Botucatu Medical School, UNESP were included in the study. Catheter cultures were performed with both semiquantitative and qualitative techniques. For CRI diagnosis, microorganisms isolated from catheter cultures and from peripheral blood cultures were identified and submitted to agent susceptibility test. The gold standard was the certain CRI diagnosis when same microorganism (specie and profile of susceptibility to agents) was isolated from both catheter tips and peripheral blood culture. A total of 85 catheters from 63 newborns were included in the study. The semiquantitative culture method, despite presenting lower sensitivity (90%), showed higher specificity (71%) when compared to 100% of sensitivity and 60% of specificity in the qualitative method. The identification of the microorganisms obtained from the catheter cultures showed a prevalence of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) species. The specie Staphylococcus epidermidis (77.5%) was the prevalent in the catheters with positive semiquantitative cultures. Among 11 episodes with CRI diagnosis, 8 (72.7%) were associated with CNS species, of which 6 were S. epidermidis. Two episodes of CRI by S. aureus and one by Candida parapsilosis were also detected. The semiquantitative catheter-culture method showed advantages for CRI diagnosis in newborns when compared to the conservative qualitative method.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista , Botucatu, SP , Brasil.
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marconi
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Lourdes Rs Cunha
authors.forename: João C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lyra
authors.forename: Maria R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bentlin
authors.forename: Jackson En
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Batalha
authors.forename: Maria Fátima
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Sugizaki
authors.forename: Lígia Mss
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Rugolo
keywords: Catheter-related infection; catheter culture; coagulase-negative staphylococci; newborns; semiquantitative culture
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