When it rains it pours – or at least that seems to be the
typical modus operandi when it comes
to outbreaks or new bugs popping up.
Last week was the announcement of E. coli with the mcr-1 gene in a human patient in the US. This week it’s a notice sent out by APIC and
the CDC about clusters of Burkholderia cepacia in PICUs asking
for healthcare professionals to report any clusters of B. cepacia directly to the CDC.
typical modus operandi when it comes
to outbreaks or new bugs popping up.
Last week was the announcement of E. coli with the mcr-1 gene in a human patient in the US. This week it’s a notice sent out by APIC and
the CDC about clusters of Burkholderia cepacia in PICUs asking
for healthcare professionals to report any clusters of B. cepacia directly to the CDC.
According the email I received from APIC, the CDC has
received several reports about clusters of B. cepacia infections seen in
patients not associated with cystic fibrosis, which is more common. The isolates from at least 2 states have matching
strain types suggesting there is a common source. Burkholderia is a gram-negative bacterium
that is commonly found in soil and water, and while it is not a pathogen that
is typically a medical risk to healthy people, it is often resistant to antibiotics. The type of infection can range from no
symptoms to serious respiratory infections, especially with cystic fibrosis
patients.
received several reports about clusters of B. cepacia infections seen in
patients not associated with cystic fibrosis, which is more common. The isolates from at least 2 states have matching
strain types suggesting there is a common source. Burkholderia is a gram-negative bacterium
that is commonly found in soil and water, and while it is not a pathogen that
is typically a medical risk to healthy people, it is often resistant to antibiotics. The type of infection can range from no
symptoms to serious respiratory infections, especially with cystic fibrosis
patients.
The fact that several states have found the same strain is
concerning as there have been past outbreaks associated with transmission as a
result of contaminated medicines and devices including a 2004 voluntary recall
of an over-the-counter
nasal spray due to contamination, a 2004 outbreak lined to exposure to
sublingual probes and a 2005 outbreak with clusters of pneumonia and other
infections associated with a contaminated mouthwash.
concerning as there have been past outbreaks associated with transmission as a
result of contaminated medicines and devices including a 2004 voluntary recall
of an over-the-counter
nasal spray due to contamination, a 2004 outbreak lined to exposure to
sublingual probes and a 2005 outbreak with clusters of pneumonia and other
infections associated with a contaminated mouthwash.
Due to the ubiquitous nature of Burkholderia, it can be spread
to susceptible persons via direct person-to-person contact and contact with
contaminated environmental surfaces and fomites. The fact that these bacteria can readily be
found in the environment makes cleaning and disinfection important,
particularly in manufacturing facilities where as noted above, clusters of
infections have been associated with contaminated mouthwash, nasal spray and
medical devices. Once in a healthcare
facility cleaning and disinfection and strict adherence to hand hygiene needs
to be considered to avoid indirect transmission to patients through contact
with contaminated surfaces or contaminated hands of healthcare workers.
to susceptible persons via direct person-to-person contact and contact with
contaminated environmental surfaces and fomites. The fact that these bacteria can readily be
found in the environment makes cleaning and disinfection important,
particularly in manufacturing facilities where as noted above, clusters of
infections have been associated with contaminated mouthwash, nasal spray and
medical devices. Once in a healthcare
facility cleaning and disinfection and strict adherence to hand hygiene needs
to be considered to avoid indirect transmission to patients through contact
with contaminated surfaces or contaminated hands of healthcare workers.
It will be interesting to follow this investigation as the
CDC works to determine what the common source for these clusters are. You can be sure that I’ll be keeping my
fingers crossed that it is found quickly and the number of PICU patients
infected can be minimized!
CDC works to determine what the common source for these clusters are. You can be sure that I’ll be keeping my
fingers crossed that it is found quickly and the number of PICU patients
infected can be minimized!
Bugging Off - with the hopes that next
week I’ll continue on the journey of our Disinfection Dysfunction
story!
week I’ll continue on the journey of our Disinfection Dysfunction
story!
Nicole
