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Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of hospital-acquired infections and an important pathogen in neonatal intensive care units, particularly for premature infants. Colonization with methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains is a risk factor for infection, and interventions to reduce colonization have successfully decreased S. aureus nosocomial infections in adults and children.
In this open-label, multicenter phase II trial, 155 premature infants colonized with methicillin-sensitive or methicillin-resistant S. aureus were randomized to decolonization with mupirocin ointment (intranasal, periumbilical, and perirectal applications) or no treatment over a 2-year period. Infants had surface cultures every 2 weeks for …