Outborn neonates admitted to tertiary hospitals are almost exclusively linked to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus transmission in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, according to a study in Pediatrics.
Researchers found 5.8 percent of outborn neonates were colonized with MRSA upon admission to a NICU, while only 0.2 percent of inborn neonates were colonized with MRSA upon admission.
Researchers suggest the heightened rate of MRSA in outborns may result from outborns being older when transferred into a NICU, so they have been exposed to healthcare facilities for a longer time before admission, according to a Medscape article discussing the study.
Early MRSA detection is "critical" to decreasing acquisition and infection rates, researchers said.
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