Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-5r2nc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-08T09:59:08.598Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An Outbreak of Nosocomial Salmonella typhimurium Infection Linked to Environmental Reservoir

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2016

Robert C. Aber  and
William V. Banks
Robert C. Aber*
Affiliation:
Hospital Infections Branch, Bacterial Diseases Division, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgiaand the Kentucky State Health Department
William V. Banks
Affiliation:
Hospital Infections Branch, Bacterial Diseases Division, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgiaand the Kentucky State Health Department
*
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Between May 16 and July 1,1973, four definite cases and one possible case of clinical salmonellosis occurred in a 175-bed community hospital; there were no deaths. Three of the four patients with definite salmonellosis had had cholecystectomies done by the same general surgeon (A); the fourth was an intensive care unit nurse who cared for one of the ill patients during the diarrheal phase of illness before salmonellosis was diagnosed. Epidemiologic investigation implicated the plastic tubing of an intermittent-suction machine located in the recovery room as the environmental reservoir of the organism, and having a nasogastric tube in place postoperatively was the critical host factor related to illness. The salmonella organisms isolated from the suction machine tubing were identical in serologic reaction, biochemical test results, and bacteriophage susceptibility pattern to those recovered from the four patients with confirmed salmonellosis. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were similar but not identical.

Type
Original-Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 1 , Issue 6 , 11/12 1980 , pp. 386 - 390
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1980

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Baine, WB, Gangarosa, EJ, Bennett, JV, Barker, WH Jr. Institutional salmonellosis. J Infect Dis 1973; 128:357–360.Google Scholar
2.Center for Disease Control. Salmonella Surveillance. Annual Summary 1976. Atlanta, CDC, DHEW, 1977.Google Scholar
3.Black, PH, Kunz, LJ, Swanz, MN. Salmonellosis—A review of some unusual features. N Engl J Med 1960; 262:864–870.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Danilowicz, D, Posnock, E, Chase, R, Spencer, FC. Salmonella septicemia after open heart surgery in an asymptomatic carrier. Am J Cardiol 1974; 34:864–867.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Rhame, RS, Root, RK, McLowery, JD, Dadisman, TA, Bennett, JV. Salmonella septicemia from platelet transfusions. Ann Intern Med 1973; 78:633–641.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.DuPont, HL, Hornick, RB. Clinical approach to infectious diarrheas. Medicine 1973; 52:265–270.Google ScholarPubMed
7.Chmel, H, Armstrong, D. Salmonella oslo—A focal outbreak in a hospital. Am J Med 1976; 60:203–208.Google Scholar
8.Beecham, HJ III, Cohen, ML, Parkin, WE. Salmonella typhimurium—Transmission by fiberoptic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. JAMA 1979; 241:1013–1015.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Rubenstein, AD, Fowler, RN. Salmonellosis of the newborn with transmission by delivery room resuscitators. Amer J Pub Health 1955;45:1109–1114.Google Scholar
10.MacGregor, RR, Reinhart, J. Person-to-person spread of Salmonella—a problem for hospitals? Lancet 1973; 2:1001–1003.CrossRefGoogle Scholar