QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Prof Shoo Lee, an eminent Canadian neonatologist who led the panel of 14 experts in re-examining the baby deaths in the Letby case, said: “Many outbreaks have been reported in hospitals and intensive care units. “It is frequently isolated from bodies of contaminated water such as sewage. If the water system of a hospital is contaminated, it is a major risk factor for the health of patients.”
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Letby was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven more at the Countess of Chester between 2015 and 2016. But since the verdicts, concerns have been raised about conditions in the hospital, which may have contributed to the deaths. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, which is resistant to antibiotics, is known to be a dangerous waterborne pathogen that is particularly hazardous to pre-term babies and immunocompromised patients in intensive care units. It is a newly emerging pathogen, and recognised as one of the most important multi-drug-resistant organisms in hospitals by the World Health Organisation. The death rate can be as high as 37.5 per cent among vulnerable patients."
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PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "A 2018 review of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow identified widespread contamination of the water system which has been blamed for at least 84 people falling ill since the facility opened in 2015."
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PASSAGE THREE OF THE DAY: "Last week Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS GGC admitted that the water system at the Queen Elizabeth hospital probably caused infections in child cancer patients after denying a link for several years. It also said the hospital was “not ready” to open in 2015. A report in 2021 found that many infections were likely linked to stenotrophomonas, with cases peaking in 2018, which was attributed to a “particular excess of stenotrophomonas bacteraemias in that year”. The Telegraph has previously reported how the Countess of Chester suffered problems with bacterial outbreaks and sewage leaks, with staff being forced to stuff nappy pads in the ceiling of the unit to prevent waste water leaking through.'"
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STORY: "Letby hospital had same deadly bug as Glasgow unit," Science Editor Editor Sarah Knapton, published by The Daily Telegraph, on January 27, 2026.
SUB-HEADING: "Lethal waterborne bacterium linked to deaths in Scotland matches those found in tube used by Baby I."
GIST: The hospital where Lucy Letby worked was infected with the same waterborne bug linked to deaths at a scandal-hit hospital in Glasgow, it has emerged.
This month, police began criminal and fatal accident investigations into the deaths of three children and three adults at Scotland’s flagship Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH).
Among those was Milly Main, a 10-year-old girl who died in August 2017 after a tube delivering medication became infected with stenotrophomonas maltophilia.
It is the same lethal bug that was identified by an international panel of experts working for Letby’s defence team.
They uncovered the bacterium in the endotracheal tube of ‘Baby I’ – an infant whom the nurse was found guilty of murdering at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015.
The panel warned that the hospital had suffered “poor plumbing and drainage” and needed intensive cleaning, which may have caused stenotrophomonas maltophilia colonisation and infection.
Prof Shoo Lee, an eminent Canadian neonatologist who led the panel of 14 experts in re-examining the baby deaths in the Letby case, said: “Many outbreaks have been reported in hospitals and intensive care units.
“It is frequently isolated from bodies of contaminated water such as sewage. If the water system of a hospital is contaminated, it is a major risk factor for the health of patients.”
Letby was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven more at the Countess of Chester between 2015 and 2016. But since the verdicts, concerns have been raised about conditions in the hospital, which may have contributed to the deaths.
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, which is resistant to antibiotics, is known to be a dangerous waterborne pathogen that is particularly hazardous to pre-term babies and immunocompromised patients in intensive care units.
It is a newly emerging pathogen, and recognised as one of the most important multi-drug-resistant organisms in hospitals by the World Health Organisation. The death rate can be as high as 37.5 per cent among vulnerable patients.
A 2018 review of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow identified widespread contamination of the water system which has been blamed for at least 84 people falling ill since the facility opened in 2015.
Tony Dynes, 65, also died in May 2021 after contracting two infections – stenotrophomonas maltophilia and aspergillus while receiving treatment for lymphoma.
When the Letby defence team re-examined the medical notes of Baby I, they warned that stenotrophomonas maltophilia could have blocked the infant’s endotracheal tube, interfering with ventilation and starving the infant of oxygen, leading to respiratory failure and collapse.
The panel reported that doctors had “failed to respond to routine surveillance warnings that this baby was colonised with this bacterium”, neither spotting the infection or administering the appropriate antibiotics.
‘Pose significant risks’
The water system at the Countess of Chester was also colonised with pseudomonas aeruginosa, which experts said also could have placed babies at risk.
Prof Margarita Gomila, a microbiology expert at the University of the Balearic Islands in Mallorca, last year carried out a study into dangerous bacteria that lurk in hospital sinks and drains.
“In our study, there appears to be a relationship between stenotrophomonas species and P. aeruginosa, in terms that they are often found together,” she said.
“Both are opportunistic pathogens that pose significant risks to hospitalised patients, especially those who are immunocompromised, have respiratory conditions, or require medical devices such as catheters or ventilators.
“Bacteria found in hospital wards can be more dangerous than those commonly encountered, as they are more likely to be resistant to antibiotics. In hospital settings, the frequent use of antibiotics favours the selection of resistant strains, making treatment more difficult.”
Last week Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS GGC admitted that the water system at the Queen Elizabeth hospital probably caused infections in child cancer patients after denying a link for several years. It also said the hospital was “not ready” to open in 2015.
A report in 2021 found that many infections were likely linked to stenotrophomonas, with cases peaking in 2018, which was attributed to a “particular excess of stenotrophomonas bacteraemias in that year”.
The Telegraph has previously reported how the Countess of Chester suffered problems with bacterial outbreaks and sewage leaks, with staff being forced to stuff nappy pads in the ceiling of the unit to prevent waste water leaking through.'
The entire story can be read at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/s/sa-se/sarah-knapton/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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