An Elizabethkingia meningoseptica (Chryseobacterium meningosepticum) Outbreak in Intensive Care Units and Infection Control Measures

Introduction: Elizabethkingia meningoseptica is an emerging gram-negative opportunistic nosocomial pathogen reported in immuno-compromised patients. We aimed to report an outbreak of E. meningoseptica acquisition in the intensive care units (ICUs) of a training and research hospital in Turkey and highlight the infection control measures.Materials and Methods: Bacterial strains were determined using MALDI Biotyper (Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany) minimum inhibitor concentrations were examined using MicroScan automatized system.Results were determined according to the CLSI guide-lines. Environmental cultures were obtained and investigated for the presence of E. meningoseptica. Clonal relationships among E. meningoseptica strains were investigated using PFGE. Results: Isolates were obtained from nine critically ill patients' clinical samples. All strains were resistant to tested antibiotics (amika-cin, Amox/Clav, cefepime, cefotaxime, ceftzidime, cefuroxime, ertapenem, gentamycin, meropenem, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), imipenem) except for levofloxacin (8/9), ciprofloxacin (5/9), and piperacillin/tazobactam. PFGE indicated that the strains involved in the outbreak were closely related.Conclusion: Intrinsically multiple drug-resistant Elizabethkingia spp. isolates can be a common life-threatening pathogen in ICUs in our country, and prevention is possible through early notification of small-scale outbreaks and necessary infection control measures.

Automated summary

In this study, we report an outbreak of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica acquisition in the intensive care units of a training and research hospital in Turkey. The isolates obtained from critical patients showed resistance to multiple antibiotics, highlighting the importance of early notification and necessary infection control measures to prevent outbreaks of this life-threatening pathogen.