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Outbreak of Sphingomonas paucimobilis septicemia in a neonatal intensive care unit

Mehmet Mutlu1, Gülçin Bayramoglu, Gürdal Yilmaz

  • 1Department of Pediatric, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. drmehmetmutlu38@hotmail.com

Indian Pediatrics
|July 2, 2011
PubMed

Insights

An outbreak of Sphingomonas paucimobilis caused septicemia in 13 newborns. Infection control measures and changing the distilled water source successfully terminated the outbreak.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Neonatal Care

Background:

  • Sphingomonas paucimobilis is an opportunistic pathogen.
  • Neonatal septicemia and septic shock pose significant risks to newborns.
  • Outbreaks in healthcare settings require prompt investigation and control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate an outbreak of Sphingomonas paucimobilis infection in newborn infants.
  • To identify the source and transmission dynamics of the outbreak.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of control measures.

Main Methods:

  • Case identification and clinical data collection.
  • Bacterial isolate collection from patients and environmental sources (distilled water).
  • Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for molecular typing of S. paucimobilis.

Main Results:

  • Thirteen newborn infants developed septicemia and septic shock due to S. paucimobilis.
  • Eleven patients experienced cross-transmission of the bacteria.
  • The S. paucimobilis isolates from patients were distinct from the isolate found in the distilled water source.

Conclusions:

  • The outbreak involved cross-transmission of S. paucimobilis among neonates.
  • The distilled water source was not the primary source of the outbreak strain, suggesting a complex transmission pathway.
  • Implementation of infection control measures and changing the distilled water source were effective in terminating the outbreak.

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