Long-term laboratory contamination by Mycobacterium abscessus resulting in two pseudo-outbreaks: recognition with use of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polymerase chain reaction

Clin Infect Dis. 1998 Jul;27(1):169-75. doi: 10.1086/514635.

Abstract

Beginning in 1993, an increase in clinical isolates of Mycobacterium abscessus was observed in a single hospital microbiology laboratory. This involved a cluster of four patients in June 1993 and five patients and a quality-control culture of distilled water in May 1994. Twenty-three M. abscessus isolates recovered between 1991 and 1996 were compared by random amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR). Sixteen of 21 clinical isolates recovered over a 6-year period and the distilled water isolate had identical RAPD-PCR patterns consistent with a single strain or clone. Only six of 15 patients had findings suggestive of clinical disease. Since the use of in-house-prepared distilled water was discontinued, no further laboratory contamination of clinical specimens has been observed. Molecular typing was the key to defining distilled water as the source of this pseudo-outbreak. Recognition of such outbreaks is important for prevention of unnecessary therapeutic and diagnostic interventions.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cross Infection / etiology*
  • DNA, Bacterial / analysis*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Laboratories, Hospital
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Epidemiology
  • Mycobacterium / genetics
  • Mycobacterium / isolation & purification*
  • Mycobacterium Infections / diagnosis
  • Mycobacterium Infections / etiology*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique
  • Water Microbiology*

Substances

  • DNA, Bacterial