Valencia Venezuela: concurrent outbreaks of _Serratia marcescens_ infection in neonatal intensive care units

….concurrent outbreaks of _Serratia marcescens_ infection in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) at 2 different hospitals in Valencia, Venezuela, — Valencia Central Hospital [AKA Dr Jorge Lizarraga Children’s Hospital of the Dr. Enrique Tejera Hospital Complex] and Sur de Valencia Maternity Hospital. Possibly another concurrent NICU outbreak due of _Klebsiella pneumoniae_ is also occurring at Dr Jorge Lizarraga Children’s Hospital. The outbreak is reported to have resulted in 119 deaths at one of these hospitals and involved preterm neonates, as well as neonates with birth defects. We are told that a worker from the neonatology ward of one of the hospitals may have been allowed to continue working for many months despite being infected with one of these organisms.

Inadequate infection control procedures and staffing at these hospitals are described. However, we are not told of the total number of neonates infected, the exact timeline of the outbreak, the types of infections encountered, medical conditions of the infected neonates that might have predisposed to infections, any associations with particular medical or surgical procedures, if facilities other than the NICUs are involved, if environmental sampling for contamination with these organisms was done, if genotyping was done to see if one or more outbreak strains are involved, etc. More information is obviously needed. The results of the epidemiologic investigation would be greatly appreciated. Read Article