Airborne outbreak of nosocomial Scedosporium prolificans infection

We describe six inpatients with acute non-lymphocytic leukaemia who develop ed invasive infection with Scedosporium prolificans resistant to amphoteric in B, flucytosine, ketoconazole, fluconazole, and itraconazole, All six pat ients died. Phenotypic and genotypic assessment of samples from clinical ma terial and ambient air from the isolation rooms where the patients were bei ng treated showed that the epidemic was caused by a single strain. After im plementation of aerial control measures, there were no further infections w ith this organism. We conclude that fatal multidrug-resistant S prolificans epidemics can be aerially transmitted and can be prevented with implementa tion of appropriate infection-control measures.