Table 1 Summary of outbreaks of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica
From: Elizabethkingia Meningoseptica Engodenous Endophthalmitis – a case report
Period of outbreak | Type of unit | Population involved | Source of outbreak | Control measures | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
April to October 2002 [6] | Neonatal intensive care unit | 4 neonates | Not found | Controlled by reinforcement of usual measures | No additional colonization/infection confirmed for >1 year after last case |
July 2006 and January 2007 [7] | Neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric wards | 8 newborns and 5 older children | Hand cultures obtained from a senior resident; Environmental cultures obtained from powdered infant formula, an electrical button, a computer keyboard, phone, a doorknob, and an Ambu bag | Staff exchange in wards restricted; All units thoroughly scrubbed using 2 disinfectants 3 times a day until outbreak controlled; Contact precautions. | Nine patients improved on antimicrobial treatment, and 4 premature infants died after infection. |
December 2007 through April 2008 [8] | Long-term acute care hospital | 19 patients with respiratory failure on mechanical ventilation | Environmental sampling: one swab out of 106 surfaces; Patient sampling: E. meningoseptica isolated from blood, respiratory specimen, catheter tip | Training on handwashing and disinfection practices, isolation policies, use of gowns and gloves, policies implemented regarding proper disposal of body fluids | Eight out of 19 died |
Fall, 2006 [9] | Orthopaedic wards | 2 patients who had allograft-associated surgical site infections | E. meningoseptica was recovered from sink drains and traps in clean rooms where tissues were processed | All clean-room sink drains and traps at processing facility replaced, check valves in drains installed, routine sanitization of drains started, | Tissue-processing resumed following these changes; sterility failure rates returned to baseline levels with no identification of E. meningoseptica or other waterborne gram-negative bacteria |
August and September 2012 [10] | Intensive care units (ICUs). | 5 patients | E. meningoseptica was isolated from from aerators, hand hygiene sinks | Urgent education programme instituted; Taps were cleaned systematically and aerators were changed. | Temporary reduction in case numbers achieved. |