BtRnau contact, or by contaminated objects. According to Jellard (1957), the main reservoirs of this organism are (a) open lesions in the mothers, babies, or staff ; (b) adult skin and nasal carriers; and (c) the babies themselves, the umbilical cord being one of the principal sites. More than 80% of hospital-born infants are said to develop umbilical colonization by staphylococci at the fourth day (Fairchild, Graber, Vogel, and Ingersoll, 1958). In this respect the presence of the organism in the babies' stools has not been emphasized. Since staphylococci were cultured from the stools in nearly 50% of babies by the eighth day, the stools must be regarded as a potential reservoir of infection to which appropriate action must be directed during nursery outbreaks of staphylococcal sepsis. SummaryRectal colonization by Staph. aureus occurred in 48 % of 92 normal newborn infants by the eighth day, and was not associated with any gastro-intestinal disturbance. The finding of Staph. aureus in stool cultures from infants with diarrhoea should be regarded as incidental, unless shown to be caused by an epidemic strain. However, the prevalence of this organism in the stools may be a significant reservoir of staphylococcal spread in nursery infections.

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