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Transmission of Salmonella from health care workers
Journal of Hospital Injection (1993) 24, 157-l 64
Letters
Sir,
Transmission
to the Editor
of Salmonella
from
health
care workers
In a recent editorial on ciprofloxacin and salmonella carriage, it was stated that the estimated risk of spread of infection from health care workers was low provided personal hygiene was maintained.’ We have recently described a nosocomial outbreak of Salmonella typhimurium spread by person-to-person contact on an acute medical ward of a hospital in Scotland.2 The outbreak involved three patients, one of whom died, 11 nurses, the one-year-old daughter of an infected nurse, a doctor and a radiographer. The index case was a patient infected with a strain of S. typhimurium belonging to phage type 208 with resistance to sulphonamides, tetracyclines and trimethoprim (R-type SuTTm). The three patients, the baby and five of the nurses had been symptomatic. Infected food was not involved and there is little doubt the strain was spread from the index case to other patients and the child by infected health care staff. We are concerned that suggestions of the low likelihood of transmission of salmonella organisms from health care staff to patients’*” may lead to complacency. In the outbreak described above the acute medical receiving ward was adequately staffed and the level of personal hygiene amongst staff was high. Although the infecting strain had certain features which may have contributed to its unusually high communicability,2 it is important for staff with responsibility for infection control in hospitals to be aware that salmonella strains capable of causing serious outbreaks can be encountered in hospital wards in Britain. A. G. E. E.
C. McCartney* F. S. Edwards? T. Currant J. Threlfall*$
*Central Public Health Laboratory, *$ (Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens), 61 Co&dale Avenue, London NW9 5HT TDepartment of Microbiology, The Royal Infirmary, Glasgow G4 OSF References
1. Wood MJ, Nathwani D. Ciprofloxacin and salmonella carriage. J Hosp Inject 1992; 22: 181-183. 2. Edwards GFS, Curran ET, McCartney AC, Paterson KR, Girdwood RWA, Threlfall EJ, Ward LR. Nosocomial salmonellosis. Communicable Disease Report 1993; 3: R40-42. 3. Tauxe RV, Hassan LF, Findeisen KO, Sharrar RG, Blake PA. Salmonellosis in nurses: lack of transmission to patients. J Inject Dis 1988; 157: 370-373.
Letters
Sir,
Transmission
to the Editor
of Salmonella
from
health
care workers
In a recent editorial on ciprofloxacin and salmonella carriage, it was stated that the estimated risk of spread of infection from health care workers was low provided personal hygiene was maintained.’ We have recently described a nosocomial outbreak of Salmonella typhimurium spread by person-to-person contact on an acute medical ward of a hospital in Scotland.2 The outbreak involved three patients, one of whom died, 11 nurses, the one-year-old daughter of an infected nurse, a doctor and a radiographer. The index case was a patient infected with a strain of S. typhimurium belonging to phage type 208 with resistance to sulphonamides, tetracyclines and trimethoprim (R-type SuTTm). The three patients, the baby and five of the nurses had been symptomatic. Infected food was not involved and there is little doubt the strain was spread from the index case to other patients and the child by infected health care staff. We are concerned that suggestions of the low likelihood of transmission of salmonella organisms from health care staff to patients’*” may lead to complacency. In the outbreak described above the acute medical receiving ward was adequately staffed and the level of personal hygiene amongst staff was high. Although the infecting strain had certain features which may have contributed to its unusually high communicability,2 it is important for staff with responsibility for infection control in hospitals to be aware that salmonella strains capable of causing serious outbreaks can be encountered in hospital wards in Britain. A. G. E. E.
C. McCartney* F. S. Edwards? T. Currant J. Threlfall*$
*Central Public Health Laboratory, *$ (Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens), 61 Co&dale Avenue, London NW9 5HT TDepartment of Microbiology, The Royal Infirmary, Glasgow G4 OSF References
1. Wood MJ, Nathwani D. Ciprofloxacin and salmonella carriage. J Hosp Inject 1992; 22: 181-183. 2. Edwards GFS, Curran ET, McCartney AC, Paterson KR, Girdwood RWA, Threlfall EJ, Ward LR. Nosocomial salmonellosis. Communicable Disease Report 1993; 3: R40-42. 3. Tauxe RV, Hassan LF, Findeisen KO, Sharrar RG, Blake PA. Salmonellosis in nurses: lack of transmission to patients. J Inject Dis 1988; 157: 370-373.