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Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
12:18

Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Published on: February 9, 2011

Maternal-infant perinatal transmission of methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus

David M Pinter1, Judy Mandel, Kristina G Hulten

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA.

American Journal of Perinatology
|November 4, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Perinatal transmission contributes to Staphylococcus aureus (SA) colonization in newborns, with methicillin-resistant SA (MRSA) confirmed between mothers and infants. Post-discharge colonization, not perinatal transmission, primarily drives early infant infections.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal infections
  • Microbiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Staphylococcus aureus (SA), particularly methicillin-resistant SA (MRSA), is a growing concern in neonatal infections.
  • Understanding the transmission dynamics of SA from mother to infant during the perinatal period is crucial for infection control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the contribution of perinatal maternal-infant transmission of SA to infant colonization and infection.
  • To molecularly confirm the transmission of MRSA between mothers and newborns.

Main Methods:

  • Collected cultures from mothers (nares, vagina) and infants (nares, skin) during the perinatal period.
  • Utilized pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to analyze SA and MRSA isolates for genetic relatedness.
  • Monitored infants for staphylococcal infections for four weeks post-discharge.

Main Results:

  • Approximately 20% of maternal SA isolates were MRSA.
  • Perinatal transmission accounted for 20% of infant SA colonization.
  • Molecular evidence confirmed MRSA transmission from mother to infant in one case.
  • Most SA infections in the first four weeks of life originated from post-discharge colonization.

Conclusions:

  • Perinatal maternal-infant transmission plays a role in neonatal SA colonization, including MRSA.
  • Post-discharge colonization is a more significant factor in early-onset staphylococcal infections in term infants.
  • Molecular confirmation of perinatal MRSA transmission was achieved.

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