An outbreak of Serratia marcescens infections occurred in a university tertiary-care hospital. Alcohol-free chlorhexidine solutions were contaminated with S marcescens. The majority of patient and chlorhexidine strains had similar pulsed field-gel electrophoresis banding patterns. Chlorhexidine was recalled, and the rate of S marcescens isolation returned to baseline. Chlorhexidine without alcohol should not be used as an antiseptic.

Human brucellosis is acquired mainly through contact with infected animal tissues, ingestion of unpasteurized dairy products or infected aerosols. Person to person transmission is still considered uncertain. The case of a woman diagnosed with proven brucellosis after her husband suffered a relapse of bacteremia with Brucella melitensis biotype 3, which was originally acquired abroad by eating goat cheese, is described. It was postulated that person to person spread of brucellosis is a likely mode of transmission in this case.

An outbreak of Serratia marcescens infections occurred in a university tertiary-care hospital. Alcohol-free chlorhexidine solutions were contaminated with S marcescens. The majority of patient and chlorhexidine strains had similar pulsed field-gel electrophoresis banding patterns. Chlorhexidine was recalled, and the rate of S marcescens isolation returned to baseline. Chlorhexidine without alcohol should not be used as an antiseptic.