Klebsiella pneumoniaePseudobacteremia Due to Cross-Contamination of A Radiometric Blood Culture Analyzer

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Abstract
Blood isolates from 13 patients in one hospital were positive forKlebsiella pneumoniaeover a two-week period. Vials of potassium chloride used in intravenous fluid admixture initially were suspected of being contaminated and thus causing the problem. However, a comparison of patients who had blood cultures positive forK. pneumoniaewith control patients who had blood cultures negative for this organism during the same period identified no common features that would explain the increase inK. pneumoniaeblood isolates. Careful evaluation of laboratory data suggested that six of the 13 culture-positive patients had probable pseudobacteremia, an explanation that would account for the increase in isolates above the endemic level of trueK. pneumoniaebacteremia in the hospital. Epidemiologic data suggested that cross-contamination of adjacent and non-adjacent blood culture vials on the radiometric blood culture analyzer was the cause of pseudobacteremia;K. pneumoniaeserotyping data supported this hypothesis. A mocktrial using the analyzer demonstrated that cross-contamination of non-adjacent vials by the sampling needles could occur. Changing the sampling needles of the analyzer daily, in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations, prevented further episodes of pseudobacteremia from the analyzer. [Infect Control 1981; 2(6):460-465.]

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