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Serratia marcescens outbreak due to contaminated 2% aqueous chlorhexidine
Mónica de Frutos1, Luis López-Urrutia1, Marta Domínguez-Gil1
1Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Río Hortega, Valladolid, España.
Introduction And Objective:
An outbreak of Serratia marcescens infections outbreak is described, as well as the epidemiological study that linked the outbreak to the use of 2% aqueous chlorhexidine antiseptic.
Method:
In late November 2014 an increasing incidence of S. marcescens isolates was detected in patients treated in the emergency department. It was considered a possible outbreak, and an epidemiological investigation was started.
Result:
S. marcescens was isolated in 23 samples from 16 patients and in all new bottles of two lots of 2% aqueous chlorhexidine. The contaminated disinfectant was withdrawn, and the Spanish Drugs Agency was alerted (COS 2/2014). The epidemiological study showed that strains isolated from clinical samples and from chlorhexidine belonged to the same clone. No further isolates were obtained once the disinfectant was withdrawn.
Conclusion:
The suspicion of an outbreak and the epidemiological study were essential to control the incidence.
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