title: Outbreak of meningitis due to Serratia marcescens after spinal anaesthesia.
abstract: This article describes an outbreak of meningitis caused by Serratia marcescens in patients who had undergone spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section. Bacterial meningitis was diagnosed in 12 of the 46 patients who underwent a caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia in a 75-bed private hospital between 6(th) and 14(th) March 2011. S. marcescens was isolated from samples taken from four prefilled syringes and one bag containing 5% dextrose with norepinephrine, suggesting that medications used in spinal anaesthesia were contaminated extrinsically. Strategies for prevention of anaesthesia-associated infections in operating theatres are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Mersin University, School of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey. Electronic address: gersoz@mersin.edu.tr.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ersoz
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Mersin University, School of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uguz
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Mersin University, School of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aslan
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Mersin University, School of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Horasan
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Mersin University, School of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaya
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004340:Drug Contamination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008581:Meningitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016868:Serratia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D012706:Serratia marcescens; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Infection control; Meningitis; Outbreak; Serratia marcescens; Spinal anaesthesia