Outbreak of Burkholderia stabilis associated with contamination of non-sterile alcohol-free cleansing wipes, United Kingdom, 2025

We describe a Burkholderia stabilis outbreak comprising 57 confirmed cases from 2018-2025 in the UK, associated with skin cleansing wipes. Cases included patients with co-morbidity (e.g. 34% malignancy, 73% with intravascular devices) and clinically relevant infections (83%). B. stabilis was recovered from non-sterile alcohol-free cleansing wipes which did not have the relevant medicines authorisation but were widely available for sale. Multi-stakeholder interventions were required including a National Patient Safety Alert. Products were not recalled. We highlight risks of potential relevance to other territories.