Objectives. Premature neonates are susceptible to opportunistic and nosocomial infections.
Efforts have been made to determine whether the neonatal gut microbiome possesses
potential for causing bloodstream infections in newborns via microbial translocation
from the gastrointestinal tract. We aimed to examine similarities in coagulase-negative
staphylococci (CoNS) strains found in the gastrointestinal tract and bloodstream in
bacteremic neonates.Methods. CoNS strains isolated from blood cultures and perianal
and pharyngeal swab samples of neonates from two neonatal intensive care units were
investigated using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass
spectrometry and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Molecular mass and genetic similarities
of CoNS strains were compared.Results. Marked similarity was found in the molecular
mass and genetic profile of examined CoNS isolates from blood cultures and perianal/pharyngeal
samples. The percentage of neonates developing bacteremia following perianal and pharyngeal
colonization by CoNS was significantly higher when compared to those colonized by
Enterobacteriales species (p<0.0002).Conclusions. CoNS colonizing the gut may be a
source of bacteremia in neonates. Enterobacteriales species do not contribute as significantly
to bacteremia when compared to CoNS, and may be protective against gut mucosa-originated
systemic infection.
