---

Background & objectives: Staphylococci are considered as one of the most important etiological agents of omphalitis. Due to the importance of early diagnosis of omphalitis in newborns, this infection can be diagnosed by novel techniques such as multiplex PCR which is rapid, cost- effective and more accurate than microbial culture. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and S.hominis species in umbilical cord infection in newborns.
Methods: In the present study, 45 umbilical cord samples were collected from Shahid Afzali pour hospital in Kerman, Iran. Followed by DNA extraction, Multiplex PCR reactions were performed using specific 16srDNA primers for S. aureus, S. epidermidis and S.hominis. Finally, PCR products were analyzed using electrophoresis and sequencing. Also, microbiological and biochemical differentiation tests were performed for the diagnosis of Staphylococci on all specimens.
Results: Amplification of 16srRNA genes for S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and S. hominis using Multiplex PCR demonstrated that the frequency of S. epidermidis ,S. aureus and S.hominis were 4.4%, 6.6% and 2.2% in the studied samples, respectively. The prevalence of staphylococcal isolates using differential tests was shown to be 33.3%.
Conclusion: This study indicated that, Multiplex PCR is a proper method for simultaneous identification of S. aureus, S. epidermidis and S.hominis species. Also, Staphylococci can be considered as a significant cause of umbilical cord infection in newborns. However, further studies urgently are needed to confirm this finding.