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Epidemiologic Investigation of a 2007 Outbreak of Serratia marcescens Bloodstream Infection in Texas Caused by Contamination of Syringes Prefilled With Heparin and Saline

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

John R. Su ,
David B. Blossom ,
Wendy Chung ,
Jessica Smartt Gullion ,
Neil Pascoe ,
Gary Heseltine  and
Arjun Srinivasan
John R. Su*
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas
David B. Blossom
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Wendy Chung
Affiliation:
Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services, Dallas, Texas
Jessica Smartt Gullion
Affiliation:
Denton County Health Department, Denton, Texas
Neil Pascoe
Affiliation:
Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas
Gary Heseltine
Affiliation:
Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas
Arjun Srinivasan
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
*
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd MS-E02, Atlanta, GA 30333 (john.su@cdc.hhs.gov)
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Abstract

This retrospective cohort study found that syringes prefilled with heparin flush solution caused an outbreak of Serratia marcescens bloodstream infection at an outpatient treatment center in Texas in 2007. The epidemiologic study supported this conclusion, despite the lack of microbiologic evidence of contamination from environmental and product testing. This report underscores the crucial contributions that epidemiologic studies can make to investigations of outbreaks that are possibly product related.

Type
Concise Communications
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 30 , Issue 6 , June 2009 , pp. 593 - 595
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2009

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