Unrecognized burden of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus carriage in the pediatric intensive care unit.

ABSTRACT

Routinely, children's hospitals use data from clinical cultures to estimate the burden of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) carriage. In our pediatric intensive care unit, a program of weekly surveillance cultures uncovered an unrecognized reservoir of MRSA and VRE carriers. This weekly surveillance enabled more accurate estimates of the incidence rates of MRSA and VRE carriage and led to an increased number of isolation-days for patients.