An outbreak of Halomonas phocaeensis sp. nov. bacteraemia in a neonatal intensive care unit.
Unidentified Gram-negative aerobic rods were recovered from the blood cultures of six neonates in a neonatal intensive care facility in Tunis, Tunisia. 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that these were members of the Halomonas genus, with <97% sequence similarity to their closest relative. The observation of unique phenotypic characteristics of these organisms supported a novel species and the name Halomonas phocaeensis sp. nov. was proposed. A case-control study and conditional logistic regression analysis suggested that the administration of fresh frozen plasma was the only independent risk factor for developing H. phocaeensis bacteraemia. Observational studies indicated that fresh frozen plasma was warmed up using a water-bath. This first description of a nosocomial outbreak of H. phocaeensis bacteraemia illustrates the infection risks associated with poorly controlled water hygiene in healthcare settings.
Berger
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AP-HM Timone, Fédération de Microbiologie Clinique and Unité des Rickettsies CNRS UMR 6020, IFR 48, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France.
Barguellil
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F
Raoult
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Drancourt
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M
D016470:Bacteremia / Q000401:mortality*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000635:transmission; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005260:Female; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000401:mortality*; D020632:Halomonas / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010802:Phylogeny; D010949:Plasma / Q000382:microbiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology
D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S