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Serratia marcescens sepsis outbreak caused by contaminated propofol

Feriha Cilli1, Arzu Nazli-Zeka2, Bilgin Arda3

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.

American Journal of Infection Control
|December 12, 2018
PubMed

Insights

A sepsis outbreak caused by Serratia marcescens occurred in three patients after chest surgery due to contaminated propofol. Strict adherence to aseptic injection techniques is crucial to prevent such dangerous outbreaks.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Patient Safety

Background:

  • Sepsis outbreaks pose significant risks to patient health.
  • Contaminated medical supplies can lead to severe infections.
  • Propofol, a common anesthetic, has been implicated in previous outbreaks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report a sepsis outbreak caused by Serratia marcescens.
  • To identify the source of the outbreak and the causative agent.
  • To emphasize the importance of aseptic techniques in propofol administration.

Main Methods:

  • Clinical case reporting of three patients with sepsis syndrome.
  • Microbiological analysis of patient samples (respiratory, blood) and environmental samples.
  • Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for genotyping bacterial isolates.

Main Results:

  • Serratia marcescens was isolated from three patients and environmental samples.
  • Contaminated propofol syringes were identified as the likely source.
  • Genotyping confirmed the clonal relationship between patient and environmental isolates.

Conclusions:

  • Contaminated propofol is a source of Serratia marcescens sepsis outbreaks.
  • Failure to adhere to aseptic injection rules remains a critical issue.
  • Vigilance and strict protocols are essential for preventing propofol-related infections.
Keywords:
Extrinsic contaminationOutbreakPropofolSerratia marcescens

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