Four U.S. states and two other countries are experiencing a Paraburkholderia fungorum outbreak from two ultrasound gel products, the CDC reported May 13.
As of May 8, the CDC is aware of 40 P. fungorum isolates from ultrasound gels produced by NEXT Medical Products Co., which is based in Branchburg, N.J. The products are branded as MediChoice and ClearImage.
The Minnesota Department of Health notified the CDC about a cluster of P. fungorum, a bacterium that is rarely associated with human illness, detected in blood cultures at several healthcare facilities.
Most patients did not appear to have a clinical infection, the CDC said, but some had undergone ultrasound-guided percutaneous procedures before culture collection. Using nonsterile ultrasound gel products before or during a percutaneous procedure risks patient safety, according to the agency.
The CDC instructs clinicians to only use single-use ultrasound gel products labeled as “sterile” for percutaneous operations. In 2021, a similar outbreak occurred across 10 states from a nonsterile, multiuse, ultrasound gel product, causing 119 Burkholderia cepacia complex cases. Two patients died from Burkholderia stabilis infection.
