Impact of early antibiotic exposure on the risk of colonization with potential pathogens in very preterm infants: a retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: Sepsis is one of the most important complications in preterm infants. For this reason, most preterm infants receive antibiotics during their first postnatal week. Since 2013, a weekly colonization screening has been installed in German neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), including multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO) and pathogens with increased epidemic potential.