Serratia marcescens outbreak due to contaminated 2% aqueous chlorhexidine.

Serratia marcescens-Contaminated Chlorhexidine

An investigation was conducted by researchers at the Royal Victoria Hospital and McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the University of Iowa College of Medicine to determine the source of an increase in the incidence of Serratia marcescens isolates, from a baseline in March 1992 of 2.7 per 1,000 admissions to 8.6 isolates per 1,000 admissions in November 1992. One hundred fifty-on...

[Implication of a national outbreak of Serratia marcescens associated with a contaminated solution of chlorhexidine in a paediatric hospital].

Prolonged survival of Serratia marcescens in chlorhexidine.

During an outbreak of Serratia marcescens infections at our hospital, we discovered widespread contamination of the 2% chlorhexidine hand-washing solution by S. marcescens. Examination by electron microscopy of the sides of bottles in which this solution was stored revealed that microorganisms were embedded in a fibrous matrix. Bacteria, free in the liquid, were morphologically abnormal, showin...

Microbiological evaluation of different antiseptic povidone-iodine and chlorhexidine formulations after intentional contamination of containers.

This study aimed to evaluate the survival rate of microorganisms within different antiseptic formulations - povidone-iodine (PVP-I) and chlorhexidine (CHX) - after intentional contamination, and to establish the minimum care necessary to ensure sterilization of non-disposable antiseptic solution containers. A laboratory study was performed with 180 antiseptic containers, which were contaminated...

Pseudo-outbreak of Serratia marcescens in a tertiary care hospital.

The aim of this study was to describe a pseudo-outbreak due to Serratia marcescens associated with laboratory contamination, and also the epidemiologic and laboratory methods used to determine the source of contamination. An apparent increase in positive culture results for Serratia marcescens was observed in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory of Kocaeli University Hospital between September ...