Chryseobacterium (Flavobacterium) meningosepticum outbreak associated with colonization of water taps in a neonatal intensive care unit.
From September 1994 to May 1996, a strain of multi-resistant Chryseobacterium (Flavobacterium) meningosepticum was isolated from eight neonates on a neonatal intensive care unit. The strain was resistant to ampicillin, ceftazidime, imipenem, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole, susceptible to piperacillin and amikacin, and had variable susceptibility to rifampicin and vancomycin. Two neonates were infected (one had pneumonia and one septicaemia and meningitis); the remaining six neonates were colonized in the respiratory secretions. Two cases occurred that could not be explained by cross-infection during the outbreak. Environmental screening recovered C. meningosepticum from sink taps. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of chromosomal macrorestriction digests of patient and environmental isolates showed them to be representatives of a single strain. The outbreak was controlled after staff were required to use an alcoholic handrub after washing hands, and toiletting of babies was done with sterile water instead of tap-water. Repair and chlorination of the water-tanks and changing the sink-taps resolves the outbreak.
The Department of Medical Microbiology, St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Whitechapel, UK.
S N
SN
Hoque
J
J
Graham
M E
ME
Kaufmann
S
S
Tabaqchali
D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple; D005417:Flavobacterium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D017053:Infection Control; D017757:Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008131:London; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012498:Sanitary Engineering; D014871:Water Microbiology