A Burkholderia stabilis outbreak associated with the use of ultrasound gel in multiple healthcare centres in Montréal, Canada, May-October 2021.

BACKGROUND: Burkholderia stabilis is a non-fermenting, gram-negative bacteria that has previously been implicated in multiple nosocomial outbreaks through the use of contaminated medical devices and substances. This article reports on an outbreak of B. stabilis infections and colonizations, involving 11 patients from five acute care hospitals in Montréal, Canada.

METHODS: One sample was not available for testing, but the remaining 10 isolates (91%) were sent for phylogenetic testing. Medical materials and the patients' environments were also sampled and cultured. Samples were tested using pulsed field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing.

RESULTS: The outbreak was found to be associated with the use of intrinsically contaminated non-sterile ultrasound gel. Relatedness of the gel's and the patients' B. stabilis strains was demonstrated using gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing analyses. The investigation was concluded with a prompt recall of the product, and the outbreak was declared over by the end of October 2021.

CONCLUSION: Contaminated non-sterile gel caused infections and pseudo-infections in several patients.