Two outbreaks of herpes simplex virus type 1 nosocomial infection among newborns

Two outbreaks of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection occurred in three newborns at each of two hospitals, and two of the infants in each case died of disseminated HSV-1 infection. Restriction endonuclease profiles of HSV-1 DNAs isolated from the three in each instance were essentially identical, indicating that they were epidemiologically related. In the first instance, each of three infants born in the same hospital at intervals of approximately 2 years or 1 year was infected with HSV-1. In this case, it was suggested that periodically reactivated HSV-1 strains from hospital personnel had been transmitted to three newborns. In the second instance (infants G-36, G-37, and G-38), the radiant warmer that had been occupied by infant G-36, who was infected with HSV-1, was used for infant G-37. Infant G-38 was in another radiant warmer 2 m from the radiant warmer occupied by infant G-37. Therefore, it was suggested that the virus had possibly been transmitted via radiant warmer and by hospital personnel in the two instances.