Affiliations: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric
Infectious Diseases, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Note: [] Correspondence: Hermann Mendez, SUNY Downstate Medical Center,
Department of Pediatrics, Box #49, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203,
USA. Tel.: +1 718 270 2271; Fax: +1 718 270 1985; E-mail: hamendez@aol.com
Abstract: Few studies have examined the epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus
(S. aureus) colonization in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected
children. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk
factors for S. aureus colonization in our pediatric HIV-infected patients.
HIV-infected patients and age-matched controls of 2–24 years of age were
recruited in the pediatric outpatient clinics at SUNY Downstate Medical Center
and Kings County Hospital, in Brooklyn, NY. Nares and axillary swabs were
collected from each patient and cultured. Confirmed S. aureus isolates were
screened for sensitivity to antibiotics frequently used to treat staphylococcal
infections. A total of 112 patients were screened; 63 HIV-infected and 49
controls. Eighteen of two hundred and twenty-four (8 specimens grew S. aureus.
Only two grew methicillin resistant S. aureus. Within the HIV-infected group, 3
of 63 (5 contrast, 11 of 49 (22 colonized. None of the colonized patients
reported taking any antibiotics in the last year. We did not find higher rates
of S. aureus colonization in HIV-infected children and adolescents compared to
healthy controls. The prevalence of S. aureus colonization in the HIV-infected
group was significantly lower than controls, which may be related to the use of
trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for Pneumocystis prophylaxis. The prevalence of
methicillin resistant S. aureus colonization was low in both groups and is
likely reflective of the low rates of both colonization and invasive disease
seen with this pathogen at our institution.
Keywords: Colonization, HIV, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus
