TYPING OF NOCARDIA-FARCINICA BY PULSED-FIELD GEL-ELECTROPHORESIS REVEALS AN ENDEMIC STRAIN AS SOURCE OF HOSPITAL INFECTIONS

Severe postoperative wound infections caused by Nocardia farcinica wer e repeatedly observed in a German hospital surgical ward, A pulsed-fie ld gel electrophoresis (PFGE) protocol was established to characterize the genetic relatedness of the bacterial isolates from these infectio ns, All 18 isolates from postoperative infections that have occurred s ince 1985 belong to a common endemic genotype; organisms of this genot ype were also detected in the air of two rooms of the department where these postoperative infections occurred. In contrast, two environment al isolates from another building on the same campus showed a distinct genotype. Three cases of pulmonary infections, at a department which is located in proximity to the surgical department, were also caused b y the endemic type, which suggests aerogenic spread of the endemic str ain to these patients, Controls consisting of epidemiologically unrela ted isolates from sporadic infections in other towns belonged in each case to a different genotype. PFGE was well suited to differentiate va rious types of N, farcinica and revealed an endemic strain causing pos toperative wound infections possibly after aerogenic transmission.