Multidrug-Resistant Organisms and Bacillus cereus Colonization in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Cohort Study.

Abstract

Background: Surveillance of neonate microbiota carriage, particularly multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and Bacillus cereus, could help prevent infection. We evaluated the presence of these in the stools of hospitalized infants, duration of isolation and risk of infection in infants with digestive carriage of MDROs or B. cereus.

Methods: In a population-based retrospective study, we analyzed the results of weekly stool cultures performed from birth to discharge, in all hospitalized newborns from January 2018 to September 2020, in a single tertiary unit. Information regarding infections was collected.

Results: In total, 1409 infants were included; 220 (15.6%) were carriers of MDROs and/or B. cereus: 74.1% (163/220) carried MDROs only, 20.5% (45/220) carried B. cereus only and 5.5% (12/220) were cocarriers. Eighteen MDROs were identified; Enterobacter cloacae (43.6%, 82/188) was the most frequent. There was no B. cereus infection in infants with B. cereus in the stool; 7.4% (13/175) of infants with MDROs were infected.

Conclusions: MDROs and B. cereus were commonly found in stools in a large population of hospitalized neonates. Identification of carriage and duration of this according to the germ can help to adapt the isolation protocol duration to limit constraints for parents and caregivers and to guide antibiotic therapy.