An outbreak of group C streptococcal infection in a maternity unit

An outbreak of Group C streptococcal infection (Streptococcus equisimilis serotype T204) occurred in a Maternity Unit in Durham over a 2-week period. The outbreak strain possessed an M-protein antigen identical to that found in a previously reported Maternity Unit outbreak. Seven patients in total were affected, and in two patients infected perineal wounds took several weeks to heal. The source of the outbreak appeared to be a patient who developed a perineal wound infection and who subsequently returned to the ward for reassessment. Environmental contamination is likely to have been the reservoir of infection for the subsequent patients. The outbreak was controlled by applying strict infection control procedures and establishing a high standard of routine cleaning.