‘Not a cluster’: Prince Charles fungus cases not linked investigation finds

A deadly series of fungal infections among heart transplant patients at The Prince Charles Hospital was not a cluster event, according to interim investigation findings.

Work under way on a multistorey car park at The Prince Charles Hospital

High fungal counts in a storage room at The Prince Charles Hospital was caused by a lack of routine maintenance of critical air filters and airconditioning being at the wrong temperature, internal documents have revealed.

But a deadly series of fungal infections among heart transplant patients at The Prince Charles Hospital was not a cluster event, according to interim Queensland Health investigation findings.

And while authorities are certain one of the patients contracted the fungal infection in hospital, no source for the spores has been identified.

Five heart transplant patients at The Prince Charles Hospital were found to have fungal infections in late 2023, with the initial case detected in August.

Elevated levels of mould found in a storage area at the unit in Brisbane’s north at the end of October, triggering a pause on operations while a deep clean was done.

Internal documents, obtained by 7 News through Right to Information laws, revealed the source of the mould in the storage area was created by “no routine maintenance” of the HEPA filters and air-conditioning being at the wrong temperature.

The Prince Charles Hospital infectious disease director Dr Alex Chaudhuri, in an interview with 7 News, said he did not believe that was the source of the issue, noting it was a non-clinical area.

Two of the patients, Muhammad Hussain, 55, and Adam Retmock, 45, died.

The men died on September 20 and November 10 respectively, leaving behind devastated families who were outraged they found out about the other cases on the evening news.

Both men had been infected by a lomentospora fungus, with one of them also harbouring a common mould known as aspergillus. The other three patients were infected with aspergillus.

Genomic testing of Dr Hussain and Mr Retmock’s fungal infection strains found there was no link between the two.

According to Metro North Hospital and Health Service, the investigation and analysis has indicated referring to the cases as a cluster event was inaccurate.

Other parts of the review remain ongoing with a final report and recommendations almost completed.

Dr Chaudhuri said patient safety was the utmost priority.

“Transplant surgery is lifesaving surgery. It is not undertaken without a clinical evaluation of risks and benefits,” he said.

“Since our investigations began last year, four patients have successfully received heart transplants and are doing well. We intend to continue to provide this service to patients like them.”

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman paid tribute to the families who lost loved ones following transplants at the Prince Charles Hospital.

“We know that transplant patients are immunocompromised and extremely vulnerable to things like fungal spores, which are ever-present in the community,” she said.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard, when the cases first emerged, noted major construction work was a common source of fungal clusters in transplant units.

A 1500-space multistorey car park is being built at the Prince Charles Hospital, with the major works considered a potential source for increasing the amount of fungal spores in the air through disturbed soil.

“(Major construction to build the carpark is) certainly one of the things that’s being investigated,” Dr Gerrard said.

“These fungi exist in the environment all around us in the natural environment, so trying to work out where individual patients get their infection from is notoriously difficult.”

Originally published as ‘Not a cluster’: Prince Charles fungus cases not linked investigation finds