A polymicrobial fungal outbreak in a regional burn center after Hurricane Sandy

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:American Journal of Infection Control
Author(s): Geeta Sood, Dhananjay Vaidya, Lisa Dam, Lisa M. Grubb, Jonathan Zenilman, Kelly Krout, Zeina Khouri-Stevens, Richard Bennett, Renee Blanding, Stefan Riedel, Stephen Milner, Leigh Ann Price, Trish M. Perl
ObjectiveTo describe a polymicrobial fungal outbreak after Hurricane Sandy.DesignAn observational concurrent outbreak investigation and retrospective descriptive review.SettingA regional burn intensive care unit that serves the greater Baltimore area, admitting 350-450 burn patients annually.PatientsPatients with burn injuries and significant dermatologic diseases such as toxic epidermal necrolysis who were admitted to the burn intensive care unit.MethodsAn outbreak investigation and a retrospective review of all patients with non-candida fungal isolates from 2009-2016 were performed.ResultsA polymicrobial fungal outbreak in burn patients was temporally associated with Hurricane Sandy and associated with air and water permeations in the hospital facility. The outbreak abated after changes to facility design.ConclusionsOur results suggest a possible association between severe weather events like hurricanes and nosocomial fungal outbreaks. This report adds to the emerging literature on the effect of severe weather on healthcare-associated infections.



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