Investigation of failure of flexible GI endoscope disinfection because of Burkholderia cepacia contamination in irrigation tubing.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: This study aims to identify the cause of disinfection failure for multiple flexible GI endoscopes and to enhance the cleaning and disinfection procedures. METHODS: Samples from the endoscopy devices, surrounding objects, cleaning water, automatic sterilizer, and integrated endoscopic washing workstation in a Digestive Endoscopy Center were collected and analyzed for microbial contamination and DNA/gene contents between May and July 2021. RESULTS: The sample analysis revealed that the sink irrigation tubing of the washing workstation was contaminated with Burkholderia cepacia. After effective disinfection measures, the B cepacia detection in the disinfected endoscope dropped from 13.23% to 0% (P = .041). The presence of B cepacia was confirmed through homology search and gene sequencing. CONCLUSIONS: The primary reason for endoscope disinfection failure is the contamination of the sink irrigation tubing by the B cepacia bacteria. These findings emphasize the need for thorough cleaning of irrigation tubing in integrated endoscopic washing workstations, which is generally neglected in routine maintenance.