title: Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections due to electronic faucets in a neonatal intensive care unit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the role of electronic faucets in a newborn intensive care unit during a Pseudomonas aeruginosa outbreak.
  
  
  METHODS
  After three patients had P. aeruginosa bacteremia, environmental cultures including those from patient rooms, incubator, ventilators, total parenteral nutrition solutions, disinfection solutions, electronic and hand-operated faucet filters/water samples after removing filters and staff hands were taken.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only filters of electronic faucets and water samples after removing filters and one liquid hand soap showed P. aeruginosa (3-7 × 106 cfu/mL). We have removed the electronic faucets and new elbow-operated faucets were installed. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis of outbreak-blood culture isolates from two patients and isolates from electronic water faucets/one liquid hand soap indicated the presence of 90.7% genetically related subtype, probably from the same clone. Water cultures from new faucets were all clean after installation and after 7 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We suggest that electronic faucets may be considered a potential risk for P. aeruginosa in hospitals, especially in high-risk units.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova University, Faculty of Medicine, Adana, Turkey. hyapicioglu@cu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Hacer
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yapicioglu
authors.forename: Tulin Guven
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Gokmen
authors.forename: Dincer
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yildizdas
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Koksal
authors.forename: Ferda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ozlu
authors.forename: Eren
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kale-Cekinmez
authors.forename: Kurthan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mert
authors.forename: Birgul
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mutlu
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Satar
authors.forename: Nejat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Narli
authors.forename: Aslihan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Candevir
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005260:Female; D050456:Fomites / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D017053:Infection Control; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014881:Water Supply