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. 1994 Sep;5(5):233-6.
doi: 10.1155/1994/587573.

Throat colonization of neonatal nursery staff by Ureaplasma urealyticum: An infection control or occupational health consideration?

J E Embree  1 , M Alfa, J Lertzman, G Gray, C Fajardo, A Yassi
Affiliations

Throat colonization of neonatal nursery staff by Ureaplasma urealyticum: An infection control or occupational health consideration?

J E Embree et al. Can J Infect Dis. 1994 Sep.

Abstract
in English, French

Very low birth weight infants often have protracted respiratory tract colonization with Ureaplasma urealyticum. To determine whether prolonged contact with very low birth weight infants resulted in higher rates of upper respiratory tract colonization with this organism for caregivers, throat swabs for U urealyticum culture were obtained from medical, nursing and other support staff working in the neonatal intensive care and level II nurseries at the Health Sciences Centre and the St Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Throat colonization by U urealyticum was demonstrated in 7.3% (95% ci 0 to 15.6%) of 41 nurses working in the intensive care nurseries but in none of the 48 nurses working in other locations or the 66 other individuals tested (P=0.02). However, throat colonization was not significantly higher among the neonatal intensive care nurses than among the women delivering at one of the study institutions. Close contact with very low birth weight infants appears to constitute a minimal risk for increased throat colonization with U urealyticum among hospital staff members.

Les enfants de très petit poids à la naissance souffrent souvent d’une colonisation de leurs voies respiratoires par Ureaplasma urealyticum. Pour déterminer si le contact prolongé avec des enfants de petit poids à la naissance a donné lieu à des taux plus élevés de colonisation des voies respiratoires supérieures chez le personnel soignant, des prélèvements de gorge pour cultures afin de déceler la présence de U urealyticum, ont été obtenus auprès du personnel médical, infirmier et autre, d’unités de soins intensifs néonataux et de pouponnières de niveau ii au Health Sciences Centre et au St.Boniface Hospital de Winnipeg au Manitoba. Une colonisation de la gorge par U urealyticum a été observée chez 7,3 % (intervalle de confiance de 95 %, de 0 à 15,6 %) des 41 infirmières des pouponnières de soins intensifs, mais n’a été notée chez aucune des 48 infirmières qui travaillaient en d’autres endroits, ni chez 66 autres sujets soumis à cet examen (P=0,02). Toutefois, la colonisation de la gorge n’a pas été nettement plus élevée parmi les infirmières de soins intensifs néonataux que parmi les accouchées de l’un de ces deux établissements. La proximité des nourrissons de petit poids à la naissance semble représenter un risque minime de colonisation accrue de la gorge par U urealyticum auprès du personnel hospitalier.

Keywords: Infection control; Occupational health; Throat colonization; Ureaplasma urealyticum.

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