Nightmare' Superbug May Have Spread Outside Hospitals
Six people in Colorado recently became infected with a "nightmare" superbug that until now, has mostly been limited to people in hospitals, according to a new report. The new cases suggest the superbug may have spread outside of health care facilities.
The superbug is known as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, a family of bacteria that are difficult to treat because they are resistant to powerful antibiotics. So far, nearly all cases of CRE infections have been seen in people who stay health care facilities, or who have been treated with certain medical procedures or devices, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
But the six people in the new report had not stayed in a health care facility for at least a year before they contracted the infection. They had not recently undergone surgery or dialysis, either, and hadn't received any invasive devices, such as having a catheter or feeding tube inserted — all of which can be risk factors for CRE infections, the report said.
Thus, the six cases appear to be "community-associated" CRE infections, meaning the patients may have picked up these bacteria from somewhere in their everyday lives, outside of a health care setting.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/nightmare-superbug-may-have-spread-outside-hospitals/ar-AAlK2TO?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout
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