Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26438044›Full record

ArticleBMC genomics2015

Genomic dissection of the 1994 Cronobacter sakazakii outbreak in a French neonatal intensive care unit.

Naqash Masood, Karen Moore, Audrey Farbos, Konrad Paszkiewicz, Ben Dickins, Alan McNally, Stephen Forsythe

Abstract readHistorical Article
In one paragraph

Article in BMC genomics, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Probing Genomic Diversity ofFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
  2. DecipheringMicroorganisms · 2026
    Review
  3. Detection of Genus and Three Important Species ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2022
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Frontiers in microbiology · 2019
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2018
    Article
  10. Article
  11. DNA-Sequence Based Typing of theFrontiers in microbiology · 2017
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Naqash MasoodPathogen Research Group, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK.
Karen MooreWellcome Trust Biomedical Informatics Hub, Biosciences, Stocker Road, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD, Exeter, UK.
Audrey FarbosWellcome Trust Biomedical Informatics Hub, Biosciences, Stocker Road, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD, Exeter, UK.
Konrad PaszkiewiczWellcome Trust Biomedical Informatics Hub, Biosciences, Stocker Road, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD, Exeter, UK.
Ben DickinsPathogen Research Group, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK.
Alan McNallyPathogen Research Group, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK.
Stephen ForsythePathogen Research Group, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK. stephen.forsythe@ntu.ac.uk.

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/K003240/1Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust WT097835MFWellcome Trust WT101650MA
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCronobacter sakazakii is a member of the genus Cronobacter that has frequently been isolated from powdered infant formula (PIF) and linked with rare but fatal neonatal infections such as meningitis and necrotising enterocolitis. The Cronobacter MLST scheme has reported over 400 sequence types and 42 clonal complexes; however C. sakazakii clonal complex 4 (CC4) has been linked strongly with neonatal infections, especially meningitis. There have been a number of reported Cronobacter outbreaks over the last three decades. The largest outbreak of C. sakazakii was in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in France (1994) that lasted over 3 months and claimed the lives of three neonates. The present study used whole genome sequencing data of 26 isolates obtained from this outbreak to reveal their relatedness. This study is first of its kind to use whole genome sequencing data to analyse a Cronobacter outbreak.

methodsWhole genome sequencing data was generated for 26 C. sakazakii isolates on the Illumina MiSeq platform. The whole genome phylogeny was determined using Mugsy and RaxML. SNP calls were determined using SMALT and SAMtools, and filtered using VCFtools.

resultsThe whole genome phylogeny suggested 3 distant clusters of C. sakazakii isolates were associated with the outbreak. SNP typing and phylogeny indicate the source of the C. sakazakii could have been from extrinsic contamination of reconstituted infant formula from the NICU environment and personnel. This pool of strains would have contributed to the prolonged duration of the outbreak, which was up to 3 months. Furthermore 3 neonates were co-infected with C. sakazakii from two different genotype clusters.

conclusionThe genomic investigation revealed the outbreak consisted of an heterogeneous population of C. sakazakii isolates. The source of the outbreak was not identified, but probably was due to environmental and personnel reservoirs resulting in extrinsic contamination of the neonatal feeds. It also indicated that C. sakazakii isolates from different genotype clusters have the ability to co-infect neonates.

Indexed as

Cross InfectionDisease OutbreaksIntensive Care Units, NeonatalCronobacter sakazakiiEnterobacteriaceae InfectionsFranceGenome, BacterialGenotypeHigh-Throughput Nucleotide SequencingHistory, 20th CenturyHumansInfantInfant, NewbornPhylogenyPolymorphism, Single Nucleotide

Identifiers

PMID26438044
PMCPMC4594962

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.