The last week of January of this year, the neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital of La Paz was closed so that an intensive cleaning could be carried out after detecting the presence of one of a bacterium called Serratia. The bacterium affected 51 children, of which 24 were in contact with the bacteria and 27 were affected by some generally mild infection, such as conjunctivitis.
After being decontaminated, on February 3 the ICU was reopened and returned to normal activity. Today, as Babies and more sources of the Madrid hospital management have been informed, a new outbreak in the ICU of newborns has been detected in recent days by the bacteria that caused it to close in January. Among infants who remained affected by the previous outbreak and new cases detected, there are currently a total of six babies admitted colonized by the bacteria.
Serratia bacteria
'Serratia marcescens' is a common bacterium in the intestinal flora of all people, which can cause infections in patients whose immune system is weakened.
As La Paz explained in a statement on the occasion of the closure, "a colonized person carries the bacteria in his body and does not have to cause any disease, but he can transmit it to other people, turning them into new carriers."
It is one of the bacteria usually responsible for hospital infections. It was detected in La Paz in June 2016 and after adopting several measures to protect the babies admitted (insulations) and try to eradicate it, finally the temporary closure was chosen to perform a thorough cleaning with vaporized hydrogen peroxide.
A deceased child
Of the 51 children affected by the previous outbreak, most children have evolved favorably and were discharged. However, one of them died from a probable association with sepsis due to serratia, although as indicated by the Madrid center "it cannot be established that this is the only cause, since it is a premature 25 weeks gestation, a weight less than 1,000 grams and other pathologies associated with prematurity ".
The same sources indicate that it is still being studied to try to clarify the ultimate cause of death but that everything points to a conjunction of causes.
New outbreak: six affected babies
Sources of the hospital management have informed Babies today and more than in a routine check (which takes place every week), on Monday, March 6, they have been detected two new cases and on Thursday 9 in a general screening, three more cases. Of these five new cases, one of the children has already been discharged. The four new cases, added to the two premature babies that had been colonized by the previous outbreak that caused the ICU to close, gives a total of Six children affected.
The new outbreak has its origin in three premature babies who had been colonized by the previous outbreak and remained admitted. One of them was discharged and the other two continue to receive treatment along with the new cases.
It is the same serratia bacteria, although it is still unknown (being analyzed) if it belongs to the same family as the previous one. The good news is that it is a bacterium that is not resistant and has a response to antibiotics.
We have also been told that the outbreak is controlled and the Hospital does not consider at the moment to close the facilities again.
