3 babies test positive for bacteria at Maryland hospital

Two baby deaths at Prince George’s County Hospital Center have led to the discovery of a potentially deadly bacterium in the neonatal intensive care unit, resulting in its shutdown and the transfer of patients to other hospitals, according to reports.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pseudomonas bacteria are “found widely in the environment”.

Hospital spokeswoman Delores Butler would not say whether any infants had died as a result of their exposure to the bacteria.

Testing was prompted after the recent deaths of two patients, but those deaths have not been officially linked to the presence of the water-borne bacteria.[ac2] The three babies that tested positive for Pseudomonas have not shown symptoms of an illness.

“However, healthy people can also develop mild illnesses with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, especially after exposure to water”, the CDC continues.

And officials are now transferring nine babies to other hospitals. The hospital is not disclosing when the pseudomonas bacteria was detected or when the babies died, NBC reported.

“PGHC has been in active consultation with public health authorities, epidemiologists and infectious disease experts, and is acting out of an abundance of caution in the best interest of our most vulnerable patient population”, the statement said.

Becker’s Hospital Review has reached out to Prince George’s County Hospital Center for a comment. Their biggest concern is transferring patients safely out of the hospital, which is located in Cheverly, Maryland.

“We look forward to resuming admissions to the NICU very soon and returning it to full service for our community.” .