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Volume 15, Number 1—January 2009
CME ACTIVITY - Research

Sphingomonas paucimobilis Bloodstream Infections Associated with Contaminated Intravenous Fentanyl1

Lisa L. MaragakisComments to Author , Romanee Chaiwarith, Arjun Srinivasan, Francesca J. Torriani, Edina Avdic, Andrew Lee, Tracy R. Ross, Karen C. Carroll2, and Trish M. Perl2
Author affiliations: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA (L.L. Maragakis, A. Lee, K.C. Carroll, T.M. Perl); Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore (R. Chaiwarith); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (A. Srinivasan); University of California, San Diego, California, USA (F.J. Torriani); The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore (E. Avdic, T.R. Ross)

Main Article

Table 1

Recently published reports of infectious outbreaks associated with contaminated medications prepared at compounding pharmacies, United States, 2002–2007

Reference Organism Infection ( no. patients) Mode of transmission Location of outbreak
(3) Serratia marcescens Bloodstream infections (18) Intravenous magnesium sulfate California, New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, Massachusetts
(4) S. marcescens Meningitis, epidural abscess, or joint infection (11)* Epidural or intra-articular injection of betamethasone California
(6) Burkholderia cepacia Bloodstream infections and sepsis (2 pediatric patients) Intravenous antibiotic-lock flush solution Connecticut
(7) Hepatitis C Acute hepatitis C (16) Injected radiopharmaceutical for myocardial perfusion study 3 clinics in Maryland
(8,10) Pseudomonas fluorescens Bloodstream infections (64) Heparin/saline intravenous flush Missouri, New York, Texas, Michigan, South Dakota
(9) Exophiala dermatitidis Meningitis (5)† Epidural injection of methylprednisolone‡ 2 pain management clinics in North Carolina

*3 case-patients died.
†1 case-patient died.
‡Prepared by a compounding pharmacy in South Carolina and supplied to hospitals and clinics in 5 states.

Main Article

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1Data presented in part at the 18th Annual Meeting of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America; Orlando, Florida; April 6, 2008 (abstract 478).

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