HPA statement on recent media interest in Pseudomonas infections

Nov 21 2007

There has been some recent media interest in Pseudomonas infections.

Pseudomonas are bacteria which are normally found in soil and ground water. Pseudomonas infections rarely affect healthy people and would be most likely to affect those who are already very sick.

The majority of Pseudomonas infections are treatable with antibiotics.

These bacteria can cause a range of infections from mild skin infections to   urinary tract infections . They can also cause a variety of bloodstream infections , particularly in patients with serious burns and those who are severely immunosuppressed such as cancer and AIDS patients . Most infection cases are reported from intensive care, burns, spinal injuries or cancer units.

Pseudomonas infection may be spread by transfer of the bacteria from contaminated sources or medical equipment to patients. Unlike MRSA, Pseudomonas survives poorly on healthy skin and unlike Clostridium difficile is not a significant resident of the bowel and does not give rise to diarrhoea.

On occasion cross infection may occur between patients with Pseudomonas on a hospital ward or intensive care unit but often to a considerably lesser extent than that seen with MRSA and C difficile . Outbreaks of infection across and between hospitals are also very rare.

Actions to help prevent patients contracting Pseudomonas include effective hand hygiene, and good infection control measures.

It is not mandatory to report cases of Pseudomonas , however the Health Protection Agency monitors cases of blood poisoning which represent the serious end of the infection. In the last year, there were 3663 compared to 3306 reported in 2005.

The increased rate of reporting of cases of Pseudomonas is comparable to the increase seen for all blood poisoning via the HPA's voluntary surveillance scheme. The increase is partly due to better reporting, surveillance and testing and may also reflect a changing hospital population, with more patients who are vulnerable to infection through conditions which compromise their immune systems being treated.