title: Investigation of a Streptococcus viridans pseudobacteremia epidemic at a university teaching hospital.
abstract: For several months in 1986, an outbreak of Streptococcus viridans pseudobacteremia occurred at a large teaching hospital. All sources of laboratory blood culture contamination were excluded. A retrospective epidemiological study indicated that one phlebotomist, "P," collected a disproportionate number of the positive blood cultures. Further comparison of the paired blood culture results from the three months when the incidence was highest revealed a good concordance of results among all other phlebotomists (Kappa = 0.5), while P's results concurred with others less frequently than would be expected even by chance (Kappa less than 0.0). Clinical follow-up showed that P did not routinely wear gloves while drawing blood and had eczema of the hands. Skin scrapings from the hands, right index finger/fingernail grew predominantly S viridans species that were compatible with those recovered from contaminated blood cultures. This epidemic demonstrated the need for early detection of this source as a cause of nosocomial pseudobacteremia.
authors: Department of Microbiology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors: D L
authors: DL
authors: Church
authors: H E
authors: HE
authors: Bryant
mesh_terms: D000416:Alberta; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006280:Health Workforce; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*