Enterobacter Aerogenes Needle Stick Leads to Improved Biological Management System

Abstract

A laboratory worker who received a needle stick from a contaminated needle while working with a culture containing Enterobactor aerogenes developed a laboratory-acquired infection. Although this organism has been shown to cause community and nosocomial infections, no cases of a laboratory-acquired infection have been documented. Lessons learned from the event led to corrective actions that included modification of lab procedures, development of a biological inventory tracking and risk identification system, and the establishment of an effective biological safety program.