Adhesive tapes in the special care baby unit

Semi-quantitative sampling of 37 taped sites and 37 matching control sites in 30 babies in a special care baby unit showed a tendency for bacterial growth under the cardiac monitors or the occlusive plastic adhesive tape to be greater than at the control site. This tendency was demonstrable even when potential pathogens were considered. During the study, an outbreak due to Candida albicans occurred. Antibiotic resistance of coagulase-negative staphylococci was marked and this, and other evidence, suggested that part of the skin flora was acquired from the unit.