Prolonged silent carriage, genomic virulence potential and transmission between staff and patients characterize a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Sharline Madera, Nicole McNeil, Paula Hayakawa Serpa, Jack Kamm, Christy Pak, Carolyn Caughell, Amy Nichols, David Dynerman, Lucy M Li, Estella Sanchez-Guerrero, Maira S Phelps, Angela M Detweiler, Norma Neff, Helen Reyes, Steve A Miller, Deborah S Yokoe, Joseph L DeRisi, Lynn Ramirez-Avila, Charles R Langelier

Cambridge University Press, 2022

Abstract: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) that confers significant morbidity and mortality. Improving our understanding of MRSA transmission dynamics, especially among high-risk patients, is an infection prevention priority. We investigated a cluster of clinical MRSA cases in the NICU using a combination of epidemiologic review and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of isolates from clinical and surveillance cultures obtained from patients and healthcare personnel (HCP).