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.
References
1.
JohnsonG. K., NolanT., WuhH. C., RobinsonW. S. (1991). Efficacy of glove combinations in reducing cell
culture infection after glove puncture with needles contaminated with human
immunodeficiency virus type 1. Infection Control and Hospital
Epidemiology, 12, 435–438.
2.
SinaveC.
P. (2002 July 19). Enterobactor
infections. eMedicine. Retrieved November 11, 2003. www.emedicine.com/MED/topic 678.htm.