Factory contamination of medical device likely source of M. chimaera infection in patients in multiple countries

The first full report using whole genome sequencing has identified contaminated heater-cooler units produced by LivaNova in a factory in Germany as the likely source of Mycobacterium chimaera infection in 21 open-heart surgery patients in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, and a further 12 in the USA and Australia, according to a study.