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Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
12:18

Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Published on: February 9, 2011

Outbreak caused by tobramycin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a bone marrow transplantation unit

O Lyytikäinen1, V Golovanova, E Kolho

  • 1Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland.

Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases
|July 14, 2001
PubMed

Insights

A Pseudomonas aeruginosa outbreak in a bone marrow transplant ward was traced to contaminated shower heads. Eradicating the source controlled the outbreak, but infections persisted in the intensive care unit.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Hospital Epidemiology

Background:

  • Tobramycin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (TRPA) infections previously occurred in an intensive care unit (ICU).
  • An outbreak of TRPA bacteremia occurred in a bone marrow transplantation (BMT) ward between May and August 1995.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the source and strain relatedness of TRPA isolates during the BMT ward outbreak.
  • To determine if the outbreak was caused by a single or multiple strains of P. aeruginosa.

Main Methods:

  • Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to characterize 102 clinical TRPA isolates and 22 environmental isolates.
  • Isolates were obtained from clinical samples across different hospital units and from the hospital environment, including shower heads.

Main Results:

  • A unique P. aeruginosa fragment pattern was identified in all hematological patients during the BMT ward outbreak.
  • This unique strain was also found in 3 ICU patients prior to the BMT outbreak and in 5 BMT ward shower heads.
  • Control measures targeting the contaminated showers successfully halted the BMT ward outbreak.

Conclusions:

  • Contaminated hospital showers served as the probable environmental source of the TRPA outbreak in the BMT ward.
  • While the BMT outbreak was controlled, endemic TRPA infections continued in the ICU, suggesting a broader or persistent issue.

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