title: Neonatal Ureaplasma urealyticum colonization increases pulmonary and cerebral morbidity despite treatment with macrolide antibiotics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the influence of Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) colonization on neonatal pulmonary and cerebral morbidity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single-center case-control study including all preterm infants with positive UU tracheal colonization between 1990 and 2012. Cases were matched with controls by birth year, gestational age, birth weight, and sex. All cases had received macrolide antibiotics for UU infection starting at the time of first positive culture results from tracheal aspirates. Main outcome parameters included presence and severity of hyaline membrane disease (IRDS), duration of ventilation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia at 36 postmenstrual age and neurological morbidities (seizures, intra-/periventricular hemorrhages-I/PVH, periventricular leukomalacia-PVL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 74 cases identified 8 died and 4 had to be excluded; thus, 62 preterm infants were compared to 62 matched controls. UU was significantly associated with IRDS (79 vs. 61 %, p = 0.015), BPD (24 vs. 6 %, p = 0.003), seizures (23 vs. 5 %, p = 0.002) and I/PVH (45 vs. 24 %, p = 0.028). Cases had longer duration of mechanical ventilation and total duration of invasive and non-invasive ventilation (median 11 vs. 6 days p = 0.006 and 25 vs. 16.5 days p = 0.019, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  UU was found to be significantly associated with pulmonary short- and long-term morbidity and mild cerebral impairment despite treatment with macrolide antibiotics.
authors.affiliation: Research Unit for Neonatal Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. bernhard.resch@medunigraz.at.|Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 34/2, 8036, Graz, Austria. bernhard.resch@medunigraz.at.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Resch
authors.affiliation: Research Unit for Neonatal Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gutmann
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 34/2, 8036, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Reiterer
authors.affiliation: Institute for Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luxner
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 34/2, 8036, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Urlesberger
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001997:Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D018942:Macrolides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016869:Ureaplasma Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016990:Ureaplasma urealyticum
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D018942:Macrolides
keywords: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia; Erythromycin; Intraventricular hemorrhage; Respiratory distress syndrome; Ureaplasma urealyticum