Irish bouncy castle event linked to MRSA outbreak infecting 48 children
Officials identified the inflatables as the most plausible source of an outbreak involving a hypervirulent, multidrug-resistant MRSA strain, while noting they were not conclusively proven to be contaminated.
A community event in Ireland in 2025 was followed by 48 children developing aggressive skin and soft-tissue infections caused by a hypervirulent, multidrug-resistant strain of MRSA.
Forty-seven of those infected had used the event’s three bouncy castles. Four children were hospitalised and 15 sought emergency care, while all 48 recovered.
The outbreak investigation, reported in Eurosurveillance, identified the strain as t016-ST22-MRSA-IV, which produces the toxin Panton–Valentine leukocidin and was resistant to at least four antibiotics.
Officials said the inflatables were the most plausible source. The event drew about 120 people, including roughly 60 children and teenagers, and many children reportedly spent several hours inside the castles amid crowded, wet conditions and rough play that may have caused minor skin abrasions.
The castles were not swabbed, meaning investigators could not conclusively establish them as the source. They hypothesised that an infected child introduced substantial bacterial contamination, allowing the strain to spread through close contact.
Health officials advised thorough decontamination of the inflatables. Infected children received antibiotic treatment, while children and family members were also advised to follow decolonisation measures. The one infected child who had not used the castles had close contact with an exposed child.
