Reemergence of Mycobacterium chimaera in Heater–Cooler Units despite Intensified Cleaning and Disinfection Protocol

*NTM, nontuberculous mycobacteria.
†No statistically significant different results for water samples from cardioplegia and patient circuit (Fisher exact test, p = 0.554).
‡One culture had growth of both M. chimaera and M. gordonae.
§Six (16.2%) samples had bacterial overgrowth.

Authors and Disclosures

Peter W. Schreiber, Stefan P. Kuster, Barbara Hasse, Cornelia Bayard, Christian Rüegg, Philipp Kohler, Peter M. Keller, Guido V. Bloemberg¹, Francesco Maisano, Dominique Bettex, Maximilian Halbe, Rami Sommerstein and Hugo Sax

University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (P.W. Schreiber, S.P. Kuster, B. Hasse, C. Bayard, C. Rüegg, P. Kohler, F. Maisano, D. Bettex, M. Halbe, H. Sax); University of Zurich, Zurich (P.W. Schreiber, S.P. Kuster, B. Hasse, C. Bayard, C. Rüegg, P. Kohler, F. Maisano, D. Bettex, H. Sax); National Centre for Mycobacteria at University of Zurich, Zurich (P.M. Keller); Institute of Medical Microbiology at University of Zurich, Zurich (P.M. Keller, G.V. Bloemberg); University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland (R. Sommerstein); University of Bern, Bern (R. Sommerstein)

Address for correspondence
Hugo Sax, Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 100, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland; email: hugo.sax@usz.ch