Germs in clinic are not responsible for the baby's death in Freiburg

Germs in clinic not responsible for death of baby in Freiburg
There is no connection between the current germ outbreak in the neonatal intensive care unit and the death of a baby in the pediatric intensive care unit of the University of Freiburg. This was announced by the hospital.

Context has not been confirmed
After the death of a baby in the children's heart intensive care unit of the University of Freiburg, initially a connection with the current germ outbreak in the neonatal intensive care unit was suspected. This has not been confirmed. According to a report by the news agency dpa, the hospital announced that this had resulted in a genome analysis of the Serratien germs in the Dutch Groningen. According to the information, these are different strains of the bacterium.

Germs at the Freiburg University Hospital were not the cause of the death of a baby in the pediatric intensive care unit. (Image: Andrea Catellani / fotolia.com)

Babies in clinic infected with germs
The small child, who had died at the end of October, had spent a short time in the neonatal intensive care unit one month before the outbreak. Serratias had been detected in the baby. According to the hospital, it is not clear what role the intestinal germs played in the death of the child. In the neonatal intensive care unit, several babies were infected with dangerous bowel germs. Serratias were detected in eleven children. The two children who were infected with germs are still doing well.

Pathogens are usually harmless
Serratia are gram-negative rod bacteria belonging to the enterobacteria family. They occur mainly in the intestinal flora of humans and animals, but also in the environment such as in soil, water or food. In general, serratia are harmless, but in people with weakened immune system, the pathogen can be dangerous and lead among other things to a urinary tract infection, pneumonia or sepsis (blood poisoning). (Ad)