The sudden death of a healthy two-day-old baby because of MRSA was a complete mystery, experts said last night, as the distressed family of Luke Day lashed out at the NHS.
While the presence of the "superbug" MRSA comes as no surprise any more in hospital wards where elderly people are being treated, it is still rare in maternity units.
Tests at Ipswich hospital, where Luke died on February 2, have found no trace of the bacteria. Swabs were taken from all parts of the ward and the maternity facilities. And all staff who came into contact with Luke and his family have also been tested.
"All of these tests have proved negative," said Chris Dooley, acting chief executive of Ipswich hospital NHS trust. "We do not, as yet, understand how such a tragedy as this could occur when the ward and the maternity area are completely free of MRSA."
Luke's mother, Glynis Day, 17, had a normal delivery. Luke weighed 7lb 7oz (3.4kg) and showed no signs of ill health. But 36 hours later a nurse found him dead in his cot. A postmortem examination, at Great Ormond Street children's hospital in London, found he had died of septicaemia, or blood poisoning, because of MRSA infection.
Mark Enright, an expert on MRSA, from the department of biology and biochemistry at the University of Bath, said the postmortem showed the bacteria had been present at two sites in Luke's heart and arterial veins. "It was a hospital MRSA, not one from the community," he said. "The child was healthy two to three hours before he died, and the mother, family and nursing staff were MRSA-negative. We wouldn't expect a child to get this unless he caught it in the birth canal and there was no evidence of this at all."
Dr Enright's team will be doing further work on the bacteria samples to try to assess their origin and the implications. They will want to find out whether Luke's case indicates an emerging problem, but Dr Enright said he thought it was more likely to be an isolated incident. "The child may have had a unique susceptibility," he said.
Mr Dooley said the trust was certain the maternity unit was safe, and stressed that there was a special helpline for those worried about the superbug.
Luke's family, however, who spoke publicly yesterday after the baby's funeral on Friday, said his death had shaken their confidence in the NHS.
They said they were shocked to discover that MRSA was not mentioned on the death certificate and they accused the hospital of a cover-up. "I was so annoyed that MRSA was not initially on his death certificate. How many other people have been in the same shoes? The true picture isn't available to the public," said Luke's father, Kevin Fenton, 24.
The Health Protection Agency said yesterday that MRSA was not one of the standard disease classifications required on a death certificate by the World Health Organisation, and that it had to be added by the doctor certifying death if thought a contributory factor. This makes it difficult to know the number of deaths involving MRSA.
With allegations against the NHS flying at a sensitive political time, both the health secretary, John Reid, and the Tory leader, Michael Howard, sent their condolences to the parents, although neither wanted to attribute blame for Luke's death.
"Every single one of the 2,000 infant deaths in Britain is a tragedy," said Dr Reid. "Around 2,000 children at a very early age die and on average one of those deaths is caused by MRSA."
Mr Howard, whose mother-in-law died after MRSA infection, said: "I know what it is like to have a close family member who has been the victim of MRSA and I can imagine the grief. We have made it absolutely clear that cleaner hospitals are one of our five priorities."
