1685. Epidemiological and microbiological characteristics of S. aureus pediatric infections in Colombia 2018-2022, a National Multicenter Study: Staphylored Colombia

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Staphylored Colombia is a research network across various regions of Colombia. The present study aimed to describe the epidemiological and microbiological characteristics of S. aureus infections in pediatric patients from 2018 to 2021. METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, we analyzed S. aureus isolates from centers reported in WHONET, a WHO software for microbiology management. A S. aureus pediatric infection (“event”) was defined as any culture isolation in an individual who was previously culture negative for at least 2 weeks. We described center characteristics, age distribution, infection type, and antibiotic susceptibilities. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the microbiologic characteristics of meticillin-sensitive (MSSA) and resistant (MRSA) S. aureus isolates. [Figure: see text] Various origins of S. aureus isolates, according to the approach in methodology: by culture, by event, and by patient RESULTS: We included 23 centers from 7 cities. Most of these centers (82.6%) provided care for both adults and children, 52.2% offering oncology services and 82.6% having a PICU (Table 1). A total of 8,157 S. aureus culture isolations were registered, from 5,384 events that occurred in 4,821 patients (Figure 1). Median age was 5 years (range 1-12). The most frequent infection source was blood (26.2%), followed by skin and soft tissue (18.4%). Most of S. aureus isolates remained susceptible to oxacillin (62.1%), clindamycin (85.9%), and TMP-SMX, 91.7%, with minor changes in the antimicrobial resistance overtime (Figure 2). MRSA prevalence varied by city (< 0.001) and was slightly higher in exclusively pediatric hospitals (39.4% vs. 35.7%; p< 0.001), and hospitals with neonatal units (p=0.004). Multiple foci were associated with an increased risk of MRSA (single origin 35.8% vs. three or more origins 56.4%; p< 0.001), particularly in cases of bacteremia (Table 2). [Figure: see text] The different characteristics of the centers are described, as well as the description of S. aureus according to the type of isolation: by culture, event, and patient [Figure: see text] This table compares the SAMS vs SAMR isolates according to the characteristics of the centers and the general type of infection and its origin. [Figure: see text] This graph describes how the resistance to different antibiotics for single events has been from 2018 to 2021 CONCLUSION: Our study, based on WHONET data, suggests that MRSA prevalence varies by region and hospital characteristics. Multifocal involvement and a higher number of infections were associated with an increased frequency of MRSA, particularly in cases of bacteremia. Prospective clinical studies are fundamental and currently ongoing to provide a more comprehensive characterization within the Staphylored LATAM network. DISCLOSURES: All Authors: No reported disclosures