ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CLIMATE AND ENTEROBACTER COLONIZATION IN SWEDISH NEONATAL UNITS

OBJECTIVE: To study risk factors for the highly variable local coloniz ation rates with unrelated Enterobacter species strains previously fou nd in 22 Swedish neonatal units (0% to 32.4% of the infants). PATIENTS AND SETTING: The fecal Enterobacter species carriage rates among 953 infants in the 22 special-care neonatal units were correlated with var iables related to the ward (size, crowding, staffing, work load, antib iotic usage, level of care, hygienic precautions), and the hospital (t emperature of water supplied, geographical location). RESULTS: The ave rage Enterobacter species carriage rate was highest at seven days of a ge (17% of the infants) and then declined to 3%. Only location of the hospital in an area with warmer climate according to horticultural zon e showed an association with Enterobacter species carriage in multivar iate analysis (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Although Enterobacter species m ainly cause nosocomially acquired infections, the occurrence of the or ganism in special-care neonatal units seemed to be determined more by extrahospital than by intrahospital factors.