Identification of infant food as a vehicle in a nosocomial outbreak of Citrobacter freundii: epidemiological subtyping by allozyme, whole‐cell protein and antibiotic resistance

Abstract

A total of 38 Citrobacter freundii strains was isolated from patients and their environment at a neonatal intensive care unit of a large hospital where colonization and clinical diseases due to the agent had been observed. Epidemiological investigations were carried out by subtyping, for which a combination of allozyme, whole-cell protein and resistance pattern analysis was used. Infant formula was identified as a vehicle of nosocomial spread. This shows that the role of foods in the transmission of hospital infections should not be underestimated. The combination of methods applied, in particular a limited enzyme set, is recommended also for epidemiological investigations of food-borne infections and establishment of their causes.

Incidence of Cronobacter sakazakii in Powdered Infant Formula Milk Available in Malaysia

“…E. aerogenes was isolated from blood culture of a 5-day-old neonate of which 12 more cases of nosocomial infections were discovered in the next 70 days in that ward (Loiwal et al 1999). C. freundii has been also related to nosocomial infections, meningitis, sepsis, brain abscess, pneumonia arthritis and endocarditis in newborns in several outbreaks (Thurm & Gericke 1994 All 12 presumptive isolates showed same melting peak at 86 ± 2°C and confirmed as C. sakazakii using 16S rDNA sequence analysis.…”

InvasiveEnterobacter sakazakiiDisease in Infants

“…Powdered infant formula also has been associated with outbreaks of illness due to Citrobacter and multiple Salmonella serotypes (13,(34)(35)(36)(37)(38). The degree to which E. sakazakii is a marker for a range of neonatal infections possibly related to powdered infant formula remains to be defined.…”

The Role of Citrobacter in Clinical Disease of Children: Review

“…A nosocomial cluster of L. malonatica were in use simultaneously. The name C. di-C. freundii isolates from a neonatal intensive care unit was versus temporarily replaced the others as the correct name and traced to contaminated infant formula [46]. On the basis of the L. malonatica and C. koseri were eliminated as valid species available information, person-to-person transmission seems to [23].…”