I recently read a study that staff specializing in infection control and the contribution of the environment to bacterial outbreaks in acute-care hospitals and outpatient clinics will likely find of interest.
Read about this study, which discusses the use of genotyping to help identify the source of a clinic’s atypical mycobacterial outbreak by clicking here.
Highlights of this study – which appears in the November (2012) issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology – include:
- A new technique of genotyping was used to identify the source of a hematology clinic’s outbreak of Mycobacterium mucogenicum, a gram-positive, acid-fast bacteria found in tap water. This is the first outbreak of M. mucogenicum in an ambulatory care setting, though five other outbreaks have been reported in hospital settings since 1995.
- Using this technique, researchers determined that an aerator used on an exam room’s faucet was the source of the outbreak. Aerators have been found to be reservoirs for bacteria in previous outbreaks (therefore, these surfaces may be suspected whenever a waterborne bacterium is identified as the cause of an outbreak).
- Preparation of intravenous medications by one nurse, who was involved in the care of all of the infected patients, was determined to deviate from proper infection-control protocol. During the time of the outbreak, this healthcare worker prepared injections at the sink counter. The authors speculate that the fluid bag being used to prepare injections might have become contaminated when the nurse washed her hands.
- As a result of the investigation, all of the water aerators were removed from the faucets and educational information stressing that sinks were not to be used as work spaces were distributed to staff.
As I have previously written, sink surfaces can be sources of bacterial outbreaks linked to patient morbidity and mortality. To read this study by Hota et al., which is entitled “Outbreak of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization and infection secondary to imperfect intensive care unit room design,” click here.
Further, I have written an article about infection control in the ambulatory outpatient setting. To read my article, entitled “Infection-Control Lapses in Ambulatory Surgical Centers,” click here. Readers may also find of interest an article I wrote in “Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.” Entitled “Contribution of Tap Water and Environmental Surfaces to Nosocomial Transmission of Antibiotic Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa,” this article’s abstract may be read by clicking here.
Last, I recommend reading a newspaper article, dated July 25, 2012, that discusses a similar outbreak linked to sinks: “Sinks suspected in Toronto hospital outbreak: Potential hygiene risk highlighted.”
By: Lawrence F Muscarella PhD on 10-16-2012