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Three-Year Outbreak of Pseudobacteremia With Burkholderia cepacia Traced to a Contaminated Blood Gas Analyzer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Denise Gravel-Tropper
Affiliation:
Department of Occupational Health and Safety and the Department of Infection Control
Mary Lee Sample
Affiliation:
Department of Occupational Health and Safety and the Department of Infection Control
Catherine Oxley*
Affiliation:
Department of Occupational Health and Safety and the Department of Infection Control
Baldwin Toye
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Ottawa General Hospital and the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Donald E. Woods
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Gary E. Garber
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine
*
Occupational Health and Safety/Infection Control Department, Ottawa General Hospital, 501 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, Ontario KlH 8L6, Canada

Abstract

Between November 1990 and June 1993, Burkholderia cepacia was isolated from the blood cultures of 13 neonates born at the Ottawa General Hospital. Eight of the 13 neonates appeared symptomatic, and only 4 were treated with appropriate antimicrobial therapy, but all improved clinically. In August 1993, the blood gas analyzer in the neonatal intensive-care unit was found to be contaminated heavily with B cepacia. Eight available patient isolates were identical to the isolates recovered from the blood gas analyzer by ribotyping analysis. Infection control measures were implemented to prevent future contamination of the analyzer, and no further cases have been identified.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1996

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References

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