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Staphylococcus epidermidis Urinary Tract Infection in an Infant
Shankar Upadhyayula1, Mamatha Kambalapalli, Basim I Asmar
1Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit Medical Center, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
Case Reports in Infectious Diseases
|August 28, 2012
Summary
Staphylococcus epidermidis can cause urinary tract infections in infants, even in previously healthy children. This finding challenges the common assumption that S. epidermidis in urine cultures is always a contaminant.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Urology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in infants.
- Staphylococcus epidermidis is frequently considered a skin contaminant in urine cultures.
- The role of S. epidermidis as a causative agent of UTIs in infants is often underestimated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report a case of UTI caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis in an infant.
- To highlight the importance of considering S. epidermidis as a potential pathogen in pediatric UTIs.
- To emphasize the need for careful interpretation of urine culture results.
Main Methods:
- Case report of a 7-month-old male infant.
- Diagnosis of UTI based on positive urine cultures.
- Evaluation for underlying urinary tract abnormalities.
Main Results:
- The infant presented with symptoms of UTI.
- Two separate urine cultures yielded Staphylococcus epidermidis.
- Severe bilateral vesicoureteral reflux was identified.
Conclusions:
- Staphylococcus epidermidis can be a causative agent of UTIs in infants.
- Physicians should not automatically dismiss S. epidermidis in urine cultures as contamination.
- Further investigation is warranted in cases of S. epidermidis UTI, especially in infants with risk factors like vesicoureteral reflux.
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