Investigation of disinfection failure of flexible gastrointestinal endoscope due to Burkholderia cepacia contamination in irrigation tubing.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS:This study aims to identify the cause of disinfection failure of multiple flexible gastrointestinal endoscopes and to enhance the cleaning and disinfection procedures. METHODS:Samples from endoscopy devices, surrounding objects, cleaning water, automatic sterilizer, and integrated endoscopic washing workstation in a Digestive Endoscopy Center were collected and analyzed for microbial contamination and DNA/gene contents, between May and July 2021. RESULTS:The sample analysis revealed that the sink irrigation tubing of the washing workstation was contaminated with Burkholderia cepacia. After effective disinfection measures, the B. cepacia detection in the disinfected endoscope dropped from 13.23% to 0% (p=0.041). The presence of B. cepacia was confirmed through homology search and gene sequencing. CONCLUSIONS:The primary reason for endoscope disinfection failure is the contamination of the sink irrigation tubing by the B. cepacia bacteria. These findings emphasize the need for thorough cleaning of irrigation tubings in integrated endoscopic washing workstations, which is generally neglected in routine maintanance.