Higher intake of coagulase-negative staphylococci from maternal milk promotes gut colonization with mecA -negative Sta p hylococcus e p idermidis in preterm neonates

Objectivewe aimed to determine factors associated with gut colonization of preterm neonates with coagulase-negative staphylococci (cons) from maternal milk (mm).study designcons isolated from weekly collected stool and mm of hospitalized preterm (n = 49) and healthy term neonates (n = 20) were genotyped. colonization-related factors were determined by cox proportional hazards regression.resultgut colonization with meca-negative staphylococcus epidermidis from mm was less prevalent (40.8% vs. 95%) and delayed (median age 15.5 vs. 2 days) in preterm compared with term neonates. enhanced colonization was associated with higher intake of cons from mm (hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) 1.006 (1.00–1.01) for 106 colony-forming units), lower proportion of meca-positive predominant nicu strains in gut (0.09 (0.01–0.49) for 1%) and lower incidence of late-onset cons sepsis (5% vs. 34% in those without colonization).conclusionenteral feeding with larger proportion of unpasteurized mm and limiting spread of predominant strains may promote colonization with cons from mm.