An Outbreak of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Infection Linked to a “Black Friday” Piercing Event

We report on a large outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection linked to a relatively new type of cosmetic piercing (scaffold piercing) conducted during a busy “Black Friday” event. Based on molecular subtyping of isolates from cases and from water samples taken from taps in the affected premises, the source of the outbreak was most likely to be contaminated plastic plumbing pipes. All cases occurred among clients who had scaffold-piercing done by the newly-appointed trainee, whilst no individuals pierced by the more experienced practitioner or who did not have scaffold piercing, was infected. We therefore hypothesise that whilst there were infection control issues in the premises and the water supply was contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, development of infection may have required additional exposure to the more invasive scaffold procedure conducted by an inexperienced practitioner. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is ubiquitous in the environment (particularly in low nutrient and oligotrophic environments) and can colonise and form biofilms in plumbing fixtures such as in taps, shower head, and pipes12 . Contamination of water supplies is a well-recognised source of infection, particularly among immunosuppressed individuals12,13 . In this outbreak, isolation of a common environmental strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from multiple taps and sinks and in high concentrations from both pre- and post-flush samples strongly indicates that the plastic pipes more distal from t...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Source Type: research