Doctors say washing machine spread superbug in kids’ ward
Once the domestic washing machine was removed no more colonisations were seen: study
Washing machines — especially cool-water ones — are facilitating the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria in hospitals, doctors warn.
Their study tracking transmission routes for a resistant form of Klebsiella oxytoca found that a domestic washing machine on a paediatric ward in a German hospital was acting as a water reservoir for the bacteria.
The bacteria were present in the detergent drawer and the rubber seal of the washing machine, which was used to wash babies’ knitted hats and socks at a temperature of 65 degrees Celsius.
The ward had seen 13 newborns and one child infected with K. oxytoca during a 12-month period between 2012 and 2013.
