Illinois “Nightmare Bacteria” Outbreak Raises Alarms

[jakeXT]

The largest U.S. outbreak on record of one particular strain of a so-called “nightmare bacteria” is fueling alarm among public health officials about the spread of potentially lethal drug-resistant infections.

The outbreak, which has been traced to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in suburban Chicago, has so far infected 44 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2009, just 97 cases of the infection have been reported to the agency.

The bacteria strain, known as carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE), is a form of superbug that lives in the gut and can carry a gene called NDM-1 that is resistant to practically all antibiotics on the market today. Perhaps more alarming, the gene can jump from bacteria to bacteria, making treatable infections untreatable.

Before the Illinois outbreak, the largest spread of CRE that officials had seen was eight cases at a Denver hospital in 2012. When signs of the infection surfaced in Illinois, officials contacted 243 patients they believed came into contact with the bug during an endoscopic procedure. Of the 114 who returned for testing, 28 screened positive as carriers but did not have any symptoms. Ten others showed symptoms. The CDC also found six additional cases at a separate Illinois facility.

...

Below, watch the story of one of the first cases of NDM-1 to be identified in the U.S.:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/health-science-technology/hunting-the-nightmare-bacteria/illinois-nightmare-bacteria-outbreak-raises-alarms/

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. the super bug "traced back to " the hospital.

Back in the day, people had fears of going into hospitals.
Sadly,looks like a valid fear around these super bugs.

[Warpy]

2. The bug itself isn't the problem

The problem is the "bridging" that occurs among bacteria wherin they share useful snippets of DNA. Pan resistant staph is the nightmare.

Hospitals are still being incredibly stupid about it. Hospital workers should have "scrub privileges," wearing street clothes to work, changing into scrubs there, changing back to go home, the scrubs laundered by the hospital. Shoes should be covered, the coverings removed when the worker goes home.

MRSA would likely not be out in the community had this simple and not terribly expensive protocol been followed. In countries where it was, community acquired MRSA is extremely rare.

A potentially massive public health threat is being ignored because all those MBA prepared hospital CEOs can see is the almighty dollar.

For profit medicine will eventually kill us all.

[BrotherIvan]

3. Excellent post

I did not know those preventative measures could be taken but it seems so simple and should be mandated. MRSA and resistent infections are freaking *scary*. My mother contracted C.Difficil in a hospital facility and it nearly killed her (as well as myself and her caregivers who had to be up around the clock). We had to pay $3k for each round of antibiotics as her co-pay. Six rounds in all. We had to mortgage her home to pay for her last year of care. It was shockingly disturbing all around.