title: Cluster of Pseudomonas aeruginosa catheter-related bloodstream infections traced to contaminated multidose heparinized saline solutions in a medical ward.
abstract: Intravascular catheters are indispensable in modern medical practice; healthcare institutions purchase millions of them each year. The present study describes an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) in a medical ward of the associated hospitals, a teaching hospital with 1005 beds, in Ancona, Italy, with details of the source of infection and the efficacy of the control measures adopted. The environmental strain of P. aeruginosa was isolated from the mixture of heparin and saline solution. Clinical and environmental isolates were identical at PFGE, showing that the outbreak had been caused by a single clone of P. aeruginosa. The frequency of P. aeruginosa bacteraemia depends on the population of patients studied; our patients did not show risk factors that increased their susceptibility to hospital infections. As these pathogens cannot be eradicated from the hospital environment, constant infection control measures are needed in order to prevent nosocomial infections.
authors.affiliation: Hygiene, School of Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Piazza Roma 2, 60100 Ancona, Italy. e.prospero@univpm.it
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prospero
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barbadoro
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Savini
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manso
authors.forename: Isidoro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Annino
authors.forename: Marcello M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: D'Errico
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004340:Drug Contamination; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D006493:Heparin; D006757:Hospital Units; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control; D007558:Italy; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012965:Sodium Chloride
chemical_list: D012965:Sodium Chloride; D006493:Heparin