From September 2001 to January 2002, the UOEH hospital Infection Control Group (ICG) experienced an epidemic of colonization with pigment-producing
Serratia marcescens in the neonatal intensive care unit at UOEH hospital. The organism was propagated among the patients from the health care staff hands contaminated with
S. marcescens that was found on antiseptic cotton, kept in shared stainless steel canisters, used for wiping the patients' buttocks.
We carried out some measures against this nosocomial colonization, and eventually in January-2002, there was no patient with
S. marcescens in NICU. In March 2002, we declared that this epidemic was eradicated after we had had no case with any serious infection for four months. We analyzed the results of the surveillance cultures that were implemented as one of the control measures. From August 2001 to January 2002,
S. marcescens was detected in 316 of 1791 (17.6%) specimens. Feces and pharynges were the prevalent specimens to detect
S. marcescens and each detection rate was 59.4% and 64.5%, respectively at the peak period. According to the antibiotic susceptibility test, the organism was susceptible against ceftazidime, amikacin, and levofloxacin, therefore, it was not multiple antibiotic resistant
S. marcescens.
The average days of admission for detecting
S. marcescens was 11.0 days and the rate for detecting only this organism was 33.5%. Centralized and prompt information about the surveillance culture was valuable when we implemented the control measures. We realized that the surveillance cultures in NICU patients were significant throughout this epidemic.
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