Nannini, Esteban C.; Ponessa, Adriana; Muratori, Rosa; Marchiaro, Patricia; Ballerini, Viviana; Flynn, Luis; Limansky, Adriana S.
Description:
A nosocomial polyclonal outbreak associated to bacteremia caused by different Burkholderia
cepacia complex (BCC) species and clones is reported. Molecular characterization identified
Burkholderia stabilis, Burkholderia contaminans, and Burkholderia ambifaria among BCC isolates
obtained from patients in neonatal and adult intensive care units. BCC was also isolated
from an intrinsically contaminated ultrasound gel, which constituted the presumptive BCC
source. Prior BCC outbreak related to contaminated ultrasound gels have been described in
the setting of transrectal prostate biopsy. Outbreak caused strains and/or clones of BCC have
been reported, probably because BCC are commonly found in the natural environment; most
BCC species are biofilm producers, and different species may contaminate an environmental
source. The finding of multiple species or clones during the analysis of nosocomial BCC cases
might not be enough to reject an outbreak from a common source.