All forms of handling and especially invasive procedures put the ill preterm infant at risk of acquiring infection from endogenous hospital flora (nosocomial). The less mature or more severely ill the infant is, the greater is the hazard of infection.
Colonization of skin, lower gastrointestinal tract, nose and throat is a normal neonatal event.
Abnormal colonization occurs more frequently in premature infants or infants admitted to neonatal intestive care units. Overt infection may develope depending on the state of maturity of the infant, the level of colonization and virulence of the organism. The infection may be introduced into vessels, airways or body cavities via catheters, endotracheal tubes, drainage tubes etc.
Nosocomial sepsis and meningitis are important causes of mortality and long-term morbidity. Multiresistent bacteria are dangerous.