A HOSPITAL OUTBREAK OF KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIA FROM INHALATION THERAPY WITH CONTAMINATED AEROSOL SOLUTIONS

Abstract

An outbreak of 5 cases of fatal Klebsiella pneumonia occurred on a single ward of the Chest Service at Bellevue Hospital. The causative agent, K. pneumoniae, type II, with unusual resistance to antimicrobial drugs, was cultured from an aerosol solution used in the nebulizers of the IPPB [intermittent positive pressure breathing] equipment of these patients. This solution was presumably contaminated intermittently by an inhalation therapist, a carrier of this organism, as she prepared this solution. The outbreak terminated after improvements in the method used in preparing the aerosol solutions. This experience clearly indicates the necessity for the careful handling of the materials used in inhalation therapy.