Contaminated handwashing sinks as the source of a clonal outbreak of KPC-2-producing Klebsiella oxytoca on a hematology ward.

Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy 2015 Jan

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We investigated sinks as possible sources of a prolonged Klebsiella pneumonia carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Klebsiella oxytoca outbreak. Seven carbapenem-resistant K. oxytoca isolates were identified in sink drains in 4 patient rooms and in the medication room. Investigations for resistance genes and genetic relatedness of patient and environmental isolates revealed that all the isolates harbored the blaKPC-2 and blaTEM-1 genes and were genetically indistinguishable. We describe here a clonal outbreak caused by KPC-2-producing K. oxytoca, and handwashing sinks were a possible reservoir. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Citation

Eva Leitner, Gernot Zarfel, Josefa Luxner, Kathrin Herzog, Shiva Pekard-Amenitsch, Martin Hoenigl, Thomas Valentin, Gebhard Feierl, Andrea J Grisold, Christoph Högenauer, Heinz Sill, Robert Krause, Ines Zollner-Schwetz. Contaminated handwashing sinks as the source of a clonal outbreak of KPC-2-producing Klebsiella oxytoca on a hematology ward. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy. 2015 Jan;59(1):714-6