Screening for Staphylococcus aureus carriage in pregnancy: usefulness of novel sampling and culture strategies

The purpose of this study was to determine the most sensitive strategy for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus among pregnant women and newborn infants.

We obtained cultures for S aureus from 5 body sites of women at 35-37 weeks' gestation. We obtained cultures from their newborn infants before hospital discharge.

Of 209 women who were screened, 29% of the women had at least 1 culture that was positive for S aureus; 5% of infants were S aureus carriers. The sensitivities of each site for S aureus detection were 52% nares, 50% throat, 13% rectum, 8% vagina, and 10% skin. The most sensitive combination of 2 sites was nares and throat (88%). Perinatal transmission of S aureus occurred in 4 women. Maternal methicillin-resistant S aureus carriage rate was 1%. Two infants carried the USA300 methicillin-resistant S aureus.

Screening single body sites is insensitive for the detection of S aureus carriage in pregnancy. Sampling nares and throat is essential to the identification of S aureus carriers.