Nosocomial Mycobacterioides chelonae Outbreak in England

A 3rd death has been linked to a Mycobacterium chelonae outbreak at Cambridge’s Royal Papworth Hospital, England. A 26-year-old patient underwent a double lung and heart transplant in June 2019. The patient tested culture positive for M. chelonae following the surgery and continued to suffer devastating complications. He died in July 2021, still testing positive for M. chelonae. A spokesperson for Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “In February 2022, a coroner had launched an investigation into the 2020 deaths of a 54-year-old patient, and a 60-year-old patient, both had been infected with Mycobacterium abscessus, a different organism. A total of 21 patients were infected, 5 of whom had received transplants. As part of our extensive investigations, we have put multiple measures in place to maintain safety, including treatment of the water supply and installing special filters on taps and showers which our regular testing shows is effective.” Mycobacterium abscessus and M....