Monoclonal outbreak of Ralstonia solanacearum catheter-related bloodstream infection associated with contaminated package of normal saline solution in a tertiary care hospital

BACKGROUND/AIM: Ralstonia solanacearum is a very rare cause of infection in humans. There is no described nosocomial outbreak due to R. solanacearum so far. We determined R. solanacearum as the source of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) outbreak. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This outbreak analysis was carried out in a 1000-bed tertiary care university hospital in Turkey. The outbreak analysis included hematology, oncology, nephrology, gastroenterology wards, emergency department, and intensive care units. The first case with R. solanacearum CRBSI was detected on May 20, 2019 and R. solanacearum was isolated in catheter blood cultures in 34 patients until October 3, 2019 RESULTS: Standard outbreak analysis procedures were applied. Culture samples were taken from the fluids administered via catheters. The cultures did not yield any bacteria. As a result of the investigation in storage area, it was found that there were leaks, air bubbles, and water drops inside the packaging of saline solutions. R. solanacearum was yielded in the cultures obtained from the surface of saline bags and the inner sides of plastic packings. To validate our hypothesis, a clonal analysis was performed using arbitrarily primed-PCR method and Sanger sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene for identification among isolates. All R. solanacearum isolates were monoclonal and identical. CONCLUSION: This is the first outbreak of R. solanacearum CRBSI described in a hospital setting. The source of the outbreak was a contamination in the surface of saline bags and the inner sides of plastic packings. Efficacy of an active surveillance system, accurate and rapid conduction of microbiological identification are essential for outbreak management.