Cluster of Fusarium verticillioides bloodstream infections among immunocompetent patients in an internal medicine department after reconstruction works in Larissa, Central Greece S.P. Georgiadou a, y , A. Velegraki b, y , M. Arabatzis b , I. Neonakis c , S. Chatzipanagiotou d , G.N. Dalekos a , E. Petinaki c, * a Department of Medicine and Research Laboratory of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Thessaly, Greece b Mycology Research Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece c Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Thessaly, Greece d Department of Biopathology and Clinical Microbiology, Athens Medical School, Aeginition Hospital, Athens, Greece A RT IC L E I N F O Article history: Received 11 September 2013 Accepted 28 January 2014 Available online xxx Keywords: Fusarium verticillioides Reconstruction Nosocomial outbreak S U M M A RY Background: Fusarium spp. can cause disseminated infections, particularly in immuno- compromised patients. Fusarium verticillioides is a human pathogen, and sporadic cases of fusariosis have been reported. Aim: To report a nosocomial cluster of F. verticillioides bloodstream infections among seven immunocompetent inpatients following reconstruction works. Methods: Identification was performed using macroscopic and microscopic morphology, and molecular assays (sequencing the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region and translation elongation factor-1a gene). Susceptibility testing was performed in accordance with the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Envi- ronmental surveillance specimens were taken and cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar plates. Findings: In total, 16 blood cultures obtained from the seven patients were positive for F. verticillioides. All surveillance cultures were negative. Conclusions: In order to prevent fungaemia, it is important to implement effective infection control measures, before, during and after demolition and construction activities in healthcare settings. ª 2014 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Fusarium spp. are filamentous fungi, widely distributed in soil and plants, that can infect humans and animals, causing superficial locally invasive or disseminated disease. 1,2 Infection is mainly through inhalation of air-borne conidia or via breaks in the skin due to trauma and/or burns. Contamination of hospital * Corresponding author. Address: Department of Microbiology, Uni- versity of Thessaly, School of Medicine, Biopolis 41110, Larissa, Greece. Tel.: þ30 241 3502508; fax: þ30 241 3501570. E-mail address: petinaki@med.uth.gr (E. Petinaki). y Contributed equally to this work. Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Journal of Hospital Infection journal homepage: www.elsevierhealth.com/journals/jhin 0195-6701/$ e see front matter ª 2014 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2014.01.011 Journal of Hospital Infection xxx (2014) 1e5 Please cite this article in press as: Georgiadou SP, et al., Cluster of Fusarium verticillioides bloodstream infections among immunocompetent patients in an internal medicine department after reconstruction works in Larissa, Central Greece, Journal of Hospital Infection (2014), http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2014.01.011