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An Outbreak of Serratia marcescens Infections Related to Contaminated Chlorhexidine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Patrice Vigeant ,
Vivian G. Loo ,
Céline Bertrand ,
Catherine Dixon ,
Richard Hollis ,
Michael A. Pfaller ,
A. Peter H. McLean ,
Dalius J. Briedis ,
Trish M. Perl  and
Hugh G. Robson
Patrice Vigeant
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Vivian G. Loo*
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Infection Control Service, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Céline Bertrand
Affiliation:
Infection Control Service, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Catherine Dixon
Affiliation:
Infection Control Service, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Richard Hollis
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, University of Iowa, College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
A. Peter H. McLean
Affiliation:
Infection Control Service, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Dalius J. Briedis
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Trish M. Perl
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Iowa, College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
Hugh G. Robson
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
*
Department of Microbiology, Royal Victoria Hospital, 687 Pine Ave W, Room L5.06, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada
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Abstract

An outbreak of Serratia marcescens infections occurred in a university tertiary-care hospital. Alcohol-free chlorhexidine solutions were contaminated with S marcescens. The majority of patient and chlorhexidine strains had similar pulsed field-gel electrophoresis banding patterns. Chlorhexidine was recalled, and the rate of S marcescens isolation returned to baseline. Chlorhexidine without alcohol should not be used as an antiseptic

Type
Concise Communications
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 19 , Issue 10 , October 1998 , pp. 791 - 794
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1998

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