Outbreak of Salmonella worthington meningitis & septicaemia in a hospital at Chandigarh (north India).

During August 1988 an outbreak of hospital acquired infection due to S. worthington has been reported at the Nehru Hospital, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. A total of seven neonates presented with the clinical features of meningitis and septicaemia during this outbreak and six babies died. S. worthington was isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid respectively. The same strains were isolated from the baby warmer mattress, baby cot, suction machine bottle and wall of the fridge. Samples from doctors, nurses and apparently healthy babies born during this period did not grow the above organism. This appears to be the first report on S. worthington in human beings from India. The outbreak was controlled by thorough cleaning and fumigation. The organisms were also mostly sensitive to antibiotics used, in contrast to the multiple drug resistant pattern reported from elsewhere.