SC hospital's water investigated as source of bacterial outbreak

A bacterial outbreak that infected 15 patients and may have killed three at Greenville (South Carolina) Memorial Hospital may have been caused by the facility’s water supply, according to The Greenville News. The infection, atypical Mycobacterium abscessus, is found in soil and dust but also in water supplies, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention epidemiologist. Any piece of surgical equipment that could have had contact with water could have spread the infection.

Most of the infected patients at Greenville Memorial had undergone cardiac surgery. The first infection was traced back to March. CDC officials say the hospital seems to have used good infection control practices, which has them considering water as the source. The investigation is continuing.

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