Staphylococcal Infections in an Obstetric Unit

EARLY in 1955, a major outbreak of staphylococcal infections occurred in a nursery in Seattle, Washington.1 This was the first such outbreak reported in this city since the advent of antibiotics. Subsequently, antibiotic-resistant staphylococcal infections of newborn infants and their mothers became a major and continuing problem, affecting the nurseries of nearly all hospitals in the city for varying periods. During a single month in 1956, 6 infant deaths are known to have occurred in this area, presumably as the result of staphylococcal infections acquired in nurseries.The extent of this problem was evaluated in a large general hospital in . . .