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Background.

Nosocomial outbreaks of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in pediatric hospitals frequently involve neonates and immunosuppressed patients and can cause significant morbidity and mortality.

Objective.

To describe the investigation of a multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa outbreak in a pediatric oncology ward at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.

Design and methods.

Specimens were collected from infected patients and the ward environment. Bacterial isolates were characterized by antibiotic susceptibility patterns and bacterial DNA fingerprinting performed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A case-control study was carried out to assess possible risk factors for infection.

Results.

Eight patients had clinical illnesses including bacteremia (n= 5) and infections of skin (n= 2), central venous catheter site (n= 1) and urinary tract (n= 1). The environmental ward survey yielded isolates of …