One baby has died and 14 others are ill with blood poisoning after being given a contaminated batch of liquid food in neonatal intensive care units across England. The affected infants, many of whom were premature, were being treated at six hospitals, including Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London, where the death occurred.
The contamination was caused by Bacillus cereus, a bacterium commonly found in the environment. The babies received the feed intravenously because they could not be fed by mouth. Public Health England (PHE) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are investigating, and an alert has been issued to recall the product, manufactured by ITH Pharma Limited.
Professor Hugh Pennington, a microbiologist, said the bacterium can be catastrophic when injected directly into the bloodstream of vulnerable infants. The surviving babies are responding to antibiotic treatment, and PHE believes the outbreak is now controlled, with no further cases expected.
ITH Pharma managing director Karen Hamling expressed sadness over the death and confirmed full cooperation with the investigation. The batch expired on Monday, and 162 units were distributed to over 20 hospitals.
