Pseudomonas pickettii as a cause of pseudobacteremia

Area of Science:

• Medical Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Hospital Epidemiology

Background:

• Pseudobacteremia, often caused by environmental bacteria, can lead to unnecessary patient treatment and diagnostic confusion.
• Pseudomonas pickettii is an opportunistic pathogen that can contaminate healthcare products.
• Hospital-prepared antiseptic solutions are potential sources of microbial contamination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report and investigate an outbreak of pseudobacteremia linked to a specific source.
• To identify the causative agent and common source of the outbreak.
• To describe the control measures implemented to resolve the contamination.

Main Methods:

• Microbiological investigation of patient blood cultures and the suspected antiseptic solution.
• Identification of the bacterial species and biovariant using standard laboratory techniques.
• Review of hospital pharmacy preparation protocols for antiseptic solutions.

Main Results:

• The outbreak was attributed to Pseudomonas pickettii biovariant 1.
• The common source of contamination was identified as the aqueous chlorhexidine solution prepared by the hospital pharmacy.
• Implementation of revised preparation and quality control measures eliminated the contamination.

Conclusions:

• Hospital-prepared antiseptic solutions require stringent quality control to prevent microbial contamination.
• Pseudomonas pickettii can cause significant pseudobacteremia outbreaks originating from contaminated healthcare products.
• Effective preventive measures are crucial for controlling contamination events in healthcare settings.