Overview

• Investigators from the Carabinieri NAS detected Serratia marcescens in the spout and soap dispensers used for washing teats and baby bottles in the Bolzano NICU.
• The health authority suspended a common plate-washing detergent across all provincial hospitals while awaiting final lab results on its contamination.
• Two extremely premature infants died of Serratia sepsis on August 12 and 13, prompting a halt on new very-preterm admissions and patient transfers to Trento.
• Prosecutors have tasked NAS investigators with reviewing hospital cleaning protocols, supply chains and multiple contamination hypotheses.
• Serratia marcescens is a drug-resistant, hospital-associated pathogen known for lethal neonatal outbreaks, triggering intensified sanitization and patient monitoring.