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Ralstonia pickettii Bloodstream Infections at a Brazilian Cancer Institution

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Abstract

We describe a series of Ralstonia pickettii bloodstream infections (BSI) that occurred in 19 oncohematologic patients admitted to a hospital for patients with cancer, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, from July 1999 to February 2006. Fifty-four R. pickettii isolates were recovered from blood and catheter-tip specimens (1–5 isolates per patient). Two patients eventually died of causes unrelated to R. pickettii BSI. Eight pulsed-field gel electrophoresis genotypes were resolved (A–H), with two detected in more than 1 patient: genotype B, in 2 patients (1.5%), and E, in 12 patients (63.2%). R. pickettii emerged as a new pathogen at our institution, causing at least one outbreak. Cross-transmission of the pathogen, infusion of a putative contaminated intravenous solution, and persistent colonization of medical devices were the likely sources of R. pickettii BSI.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) of Brazil, and Fogarty International Program in Global Infectious Diseases (TW006563) of the National Institute of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Flávia L. P. C. Pellegrino, Kátia R. N. Santos & Beatriz Meurer Moreira

  2. Instituto Nacional do Câncer, Hospital do Câncer-I (INCA), Praça da Cruz Vermelha 23, 20230-130, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Marcelo Schirmer, Eduardo Velasco & Lúcia M. de Faria

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  1. Flávia L. P. C. Pellegrino
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  2. Marcelo Schirmer
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  3. Eduardo Velasco
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  4. Lúcia M. de Faria
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  5. Kátia R. N. Santos
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  6. Beatriz Meurer Moreira
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Correspondence to Beatriz Meurer Moreira.

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Pellegrino, F.L.P.C., Schirmer, M., Velasco, E. et al. Ralstonia pickettii Bloodstream Infections at a Brazilian Cancer Institution. Curr Microbiol 56, 219–223 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-007-9060-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-007-9060-1

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