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An outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni infection in a neonatal intensive care unit
The Journal of Hospital Infection
|January 1, 1987
Insights
A two-week outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni infections occurred in a neonatal intensive care unit. Person-to-person spread is the likely cause of this serious infant bacterial infection.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal intensive care unit medicine
- Infectious disease epidemiology
- Bacterial pathogenesis
Background:
- Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are vulnerable settings for healthcare-associated infections.
- Campylobacter jejuni is a common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in infants.
- Outbreaks in NICUs require rapid identification and control measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate an outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni infections in a neonatal intensive care unit.
- To determine the source and transmission dynamics of the outbreak.
- To inform infection control strategies.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective case finding of infants diagnosed with Campylobacter jejuni infection.
- Serotyping of Campylobacter jejuni isolates to identify common strains.
- Epidemiological analysis to evaluate potential sources and transmission routes.
Main Results:
- Seven infants were diagnosed with Campylobacter jejuni infection over two weeks.
- Five of the seven cases involved an identical serotype of Campylobacter jejuni.
- Common source or maternal transmission were unlikely explanations for the outbreak.
Conclusions:
- The temporal clustering of cases and identical serotype suggest person-to-person transmission.
- This highlights the risk of healthcare-associated Campylobacter jejuni spread in NICUs.
- Effective infection control is crucial to prevent infant bacterial infections in neonatal settings.
Abstract:
During a period of 2 weeks Campylobacter jejuni infection was diagnosed in seven infants in a neonatal intensive care unit. An identical serotype of Camp. jejuni was found in five of the cases. Investigations suggested that a common source of infection or infection acquired from mothers during delivery were unlikely. The dates of onset and the common serotype indicate that the outbreak may have been caused by person-to-person spread.