The Public Prosecutor’s Office of Verona has registered seven people (former managers and doctors of the hospital) in the register of suspects, with the hypothesis of manslaughter and serious and very serious negligent injuries in the health sector, in the investigation into the Citrobacter infection at the Hospital of the Mother and Child, where 89 newborns would have been infected by the so-called killer bacterium which caused 4 deaths, while a dozen would have reported very serious damage from the infection.
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“The investigation – explains the prosecutor of Verona, Angela Bargaglio – aims to verify whether the conduct of the seven suspects has been corrected or has been able to cause the deaths and damage suffered by the newborns. The investigation starts from the report presented by the Regional Commission of investigation, according to which the epidemic outbreak was active since 2018, in particular linked to the use of water from a contaminated tap for the preparation of powdered milk. Only on 12 June 2020, when the infections increased and the protests of the mothers of the small victims, the birth point was closed and sanitized.
READ Verona, babies dead in hospital: the killer bacterium was in the water taps and baby bottles
What is citrobacter
Citrobacter koseri is a gram-negative bacterium species belonging to the citrobacter genus. It is part of the normal bacterial flora of the human digestive system. Citrobacter can cause infections in weak people (opportunistic pathogens) such as newborns (especially premature ones), the elderly and immunocompromised individuals, reads the website of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. In these people they can cause infections of the urinary tract, respiratory tract, wounds, bones (osteomyelitis), peritoneum, endocardium, meningitis and sepsis.
Most of these infections are acquired in the hospital (nosocomial infections), however, due to the spread of the bacterium, it can also become infected outside the hospital. The most frequent modes of transmission are: through the ingestion of contaminated food, from mother to child during childbirth, direct person-to-person contact, contact with contaminated surfaces or objects.
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How transmission occurs in a hospital setting
In the hospital setting, transmission can occur through contact with healthcare workers, especially through the hands if not properly washed and disinfected or indirect contact through contaminated objects or surfaces (both diagnostic tools and common objects and surfaces).
What causes
Citrobacter Koseri is responsible for neonatal meningitis, a particularly severe form, generally associated with necrotizing encephalitis and brain abscesses. The prognosis of a C. koseri infection in a newborn is 20-30% fatal. 75% of survivors present with severe neurological damage such as hydrocephalus, neurological deficit, delayed brain development and epilepsy.
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Why is it so dangerous for premature babies
These infants have reduced immune defenses and often require intensive care. The treatment is based on the use of antibiotics such as cephalosporins and aminoglycosides, but unfortunately this microorganism very often in intensive care is resistant to many antibiotics.
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