Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To explore the epidemiological and molecular epidemiological characteristics of children with positive blood cultures for Serratia marcescens, providing a scientific basis for formulating hospital prevention and control measures.
METHODS An epidemiological investigation was conducted on 11 children with positive blood cultures for S. marcescens in the pediatric ward of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in Oct. 2024, whole-genome sequencing was used to analyze the drug resistance genes, virulence genes, plasmid carriage, strain homology and possible transmission routes of the strains.
RESULTS Among the 11 children with positive blood cultures for S. marcescens, 2 were diagnosed with hospital-associated sepsis, and 9 were cases of blood culture contamination. The 11 S. marcescens strains carried 7 identical drug resistance genes, including aac(6)-Ic, and four virulence genes, including cheY. Among them, 9 strains carried the IncFII plasmid. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) phylogenetic tree and Bayesian time series tree based on whole-genome sequencing indicated minimal genetic differences (≤16 SNPs) among the 11 strains, suggesting a possible common source of infection. A total of 125 samples were collected from relevant medical staff and the environment, but no S. marcescens was detected. After implementing bundled infection prevention and control measures, such as replacing sinks and faucets, changing the skin disinfectant for blood collection in children to chlorhexidine-ethanol, and strengthening hand hygiene supervision, no new cases emerged within one month.
CONCLUSIONS Investigation revealed that the transmission cluster of blood culture-positive S. marcescens across pediatric wards was linked to contaminated sinks, with inadequately disinfected skin antiseptics may a potential vehicle for transmission. Contributing factors included inadequate environmental disinfection, poor hand hygiene compliance, and staff cross-transmission. Effective bundled infection prevention and control measures can prevent the further spread of infections.