Ocular methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in a newborn intensive care cohort.

Purpose: To examine the occurrence and outcome of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ophthalmologic infections in a newborn intensive care unit cohort.
Design: Noninterventional case series.
Methods: Over a 13-month period, 29 neonates were colonized with methicillin-resistant S. aureus in a newborn intensive care unit outbreak. Patients were followed prospectively during the course of colonization and infection. The frequency and type of ophthalmologic infection was recorded, and patients were treated according to clinical need.
Results: Eleven of these patients were found to have purulent conjunctivitis. No serious ocular disease ensued in any of these. Spontaneous resolution occurred in some patients, while others improved after either topical or systemic antibiotic treatment.
Conclusion: Despite invasive infection caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus, serious ophthalmologic infection was not found.