Virginia Mason investigating bacterial infection outbreak at downtown campus

SEATTLE - Virginia Mason Medical Center is continuing to investigate a bacterial infection outbreak that has swept through the downtown campus since October.

The VMMC detected an increase in Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria. Klebsiella is normally found in the human intestines but do not cause infection in healthy patients.

Klebsiella infections commonly occur among sick or immunocompromised patients who are receiving treatment for other conditions, VMMC said.

Some of the symptoms include cough, fever or chest pain, according to the American Society for Microbiology.

"While the risk of transmission is extremely low for patients, we continue to take proactive steps to avoid additional transmission, including conducting environmental sampling, updating facility infrastructure, and reviewing cleaning and infection prevention practices," Virginia Mason said on its website.

To date, there have been 31 confirmed cases related to the same strain of Klebsiella infections at Virginia Mason.

The latest confirmed case was identified on April 3.

If patients feel ill or are concerned about infection, contact your primary care provider.

"Public Health has been working closely with Virginia Mason Medical Center to identify any potential causes of the infection. Public Health has reviewed VM’s prevention plan, which includes recommended steps for infection control. These types of outbreaks are complex, and despite thorough investigation, we may never know the source." Dr. Eric Chow, the chief of communicable disease epidemiology & immunization public health – Seattle & King County