Another individual who contracted Klebsiella pneumoniae at Seattle-based Virginia Mason Medical Center has died, bringing the total to 10 patient deaths, the hospital confirmed July 27.
Virginia Mason said it's difficult to confirm whether K. pneumoniae caused or contributed to the deaths due to the medical complexity of the patients' conditions.
Thirty-three patients have developed infections tied to the outbreak, which began in October 2022. The most recent confirmed case was identified May 25.
Hospital leaders and health officials are still searching for the source of the outbreak. As of May, leaders had not found any commonalities in terms of where affected patients spent time in the hospital, and testing of hospital surfaces did not reveal any bacteria matching patient samples.
"While the risk of transmission is extremely low for patients, we continue to take proactive steps to avoid additional transmission," Virginia Mason said. "Providing safe, high-quality care to our patients is always our top priority, and we remain committed to working with our partners to determine the source of the Klebsiella infections."