Epidemiological investigation of a Serratia liquefaciens outbreak in a neurosurgery department

Dubouix, Anne; Roques, C.; Segonds, Christine; Jeannot, Matthieu; Malavaud, S.; Daude, Sébastien; Chabanon, G.; Marty, N.

doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2004.09.029

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The organism was isolated from a total of 17 hospitalized patients, primarily from respiratory secretions, but also from urine, a wound, and cerebrospinal fluid. Two of the patients developed sepsis (115).…”

Section: S Liquefaciensmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Serratia Infections: from Military Experiments to Current Practice

2011

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SUMMARY Serratia species, in particular Serratia marcescens , are significant human pathogens. S. marcescens has a long and interesting taxonomic, medical experimentation, military experimentation, and human clinical infection history. The organisms in this genus, particularly S. marcescens , were long thought to be nonpathogenic. Because S. marcescens was thought to be a nonpathogen and is usually red pigmented, the U.S. military conducted experiments that attempted to ascertain the spread of this organism released over large areas. In the process, members of both the public and the military were exposed to S. marcescens , and this was uncovered by the press in the 1970s, leading to U.S. congressional hearings. S. marcescens was found to be a certain human pathogen by the mid-1960s. S. marcescens and S. liquefaciens have been isolated as causative agents of numerous outbreaks and opportunistic infections, and the association of these organisms with point sources such as medical devices and various solutions given to hospitalized patients is striking. Serratia species appear to be common environmental organisms, and this helps to explain the large number of nosocomial infections due to these bacteria. Since many nosocomial infections are caused by multiply antibiotic-resistant strains of S. marcescens , this increases the danger to hospitalized patients, and hospital personnel should be vigilant in preventing nosocomial outbreaks due to this organism. S. marcescens , and probably other species in the genus, carries several antibiotic resistance determinants and is also capable of acquiring resistance genes. S. marcescens and S. liquefaciens are usually identified well in the clinical laboratory, but the other species are rare enough that laboratory technologists may not recognize them. 16S rRNA gene sequencing may enable better identification of some of the less common Serratia species.

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Section: S Liquefaciensmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The organism has been isolated as a cause of abscesses (361), endocarditis (75,276), a fistulous pyoderma (401), fatal meningoencephalitis (15), septic arthritis (174), septicemia (6,115,123,132,171,326,332,412), and urinary tract infections (263,344) and from a wound culture after a man received a swordfish bill injury (262).…”

Section: S Liquefaciensmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serratia Infections: from Military Experiments to Current Practice

2011

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“…The pathogenicity of S. liquefaciens is well established in humans, insects, and fish [11][12], and cases of fatal infection have been reported [13]. Many investigations have documented outbreaks of S. liquefaciens in settings of medical care, such as hemodialysis centers and neurosurgery departments [14][15]. S. liquefaciens often colonizes hospital instruments and consumable materials that include pressure monitoring equipment, suction pumps, oxygen concentrators, mechanical ventilators, intravenous infusion sets, intravascular catheters, hand-soap dispensers, and vials of liquid medication [16][17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An outbreak of Serratia liquefaciens at a rural health center in The Gambia

Ikumapayi

Kanteh

Manneh

et al. 2016

J Infect Dev Ctries

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Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are better documented in developed than in developing countries. There are emerging reports regarding the high frequency of HAIs in developing countries. We aimed to report an outbreak of an HAI caused by Serratia liquefaciens at a rural health center in The Gambia. Methodology: Following an abrupt increase in the isolation of S. liquefaciens in clinical samples, laboratory and clinical consumables, as well as staff, were screened for contamination with S. liquefaciens. Conventional microbiological techniques and biochemical identification tests were used. A phenotypic typing was achieved using the Kirby-Bauer antibiotic susceptibility method. Strategies to control the outbreak were implemented. Results: A total of 794 samples were processed during the outbreak; 44 (6%) grew S. liquefaciens. Five (25%) of the 20 suspected contaminated materials (hospital consumables and equipment) screened yielded growth of the organism. The primary source of the outbreak was hospital consumables. Three (7%) of the 44 infected children died with no other known cause than S. liquefaciens infection. Ninety-nine percent similarity of the antibiogram phenotypic typing suggests the isolates were from the same clonal origin. The outbreak was successfully controlled after the removal and sterilization of the respective contaminated fluids and equipment. Conclusions: This HAI was caused by poor practice in the preparation of medications for nebulization and intravenous infusion, hygiene practices, and a lack of awareness among staff about infection control. We recommend further studies to delineate the role played by HAIs in the developing world.

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“…As microorganisms causing nosocomial infections, Serriatia spp., Pseudomonas spp., Burkholderia spp., Staphylococcus spp., Legionella spp., Mycobacterium spp., Bacillus spp., Clostridium spp., MRSA, and VRE have often been discussed (Dubouix et al, 2005;.Cullen et al, 2005;Goenaga Sanchez et al, 2005;Trautmann et al, 2005;Moreira et al, 2005;Otaga et al, 2005;Allen and Griffith, 2005;Hsueh et al, 2005;Willems et al, 2005;Banning, 2005;Bissett, 2005;Exner et al, 2005;O'Neill and Humphreys, 2005;Duckro et al, 2005;Matsuki et al, 2005;Arrich et al, 2005;Ohangela et al, 2004;Pai et al, 2004;Conger et al, 2004;Kline et al, 2004;Wang et al, 2004;Tambyah et al, 2004;Axon et al, 2004;Shintani et al, 2004;Hernaiz et al, 2003;Moore et al, 2002;Barbeau et al, 1998;LaForce, 1997 speculated to be due to direct contamination via hands from health care employees to immunodeficient patients, but this has not been completely clarified yet. We have studied airborne and surface microorganisms in the dialysis room of Namiki clinic at Nagoya, Japan and confirmed that the origins of these microorganisms were mostly from people including doctors, nurses, and patients (Miki, 2003a, Shintani et al, 2004.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%