Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is caused by strain of antibiotic resistant group of bacteria. This is very hard to treat because common antibiotics do not work on them. In a Seattle hospital, the deadly bacteria have infected 32 people in a three-year period.
A new report says that a multi-drug resistant superbug that has spread through contaminated endoscopy tubes has infected at least 32 people in Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle from 2012 to 2014. Out of the 32 people, 11 of them died in the three-year period.
Upon investigation of health officials, the cause of the infection was that, the bacteria may have been transmitted from one patient to another through endoscopes. Endoscopes are flexible tubes used to treat pancreatic cancer and other gut problems.
Hospital and health officials did not disclose to patients and their families the cause of the infection at the time of the illness says The Seattle Times. The hospital also said that they have followed the protocol in disinfecting and cleaning the medical tubes. In fact, even though investigations by the federal health officials have revealed that there was no breech in implementing the protocol, they have changed and improved their cleaning protocol for devices.
"This makes us the safest place in the country to have this done," Dr. Andrew Ross, section head for the gastroenterology department told The Seattle Times.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has contacted Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the case but has not yet released their official statement and announcement. The US FDA is in charge of regulating and approving medical equipment.
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are gram negative bacteria that are very difficult to treat because they are resistant to most antibiotics. According to CDC, Klebsiella species and Escherichia coli are examples of Enterobacteriaceae, a normal part of the human gut bacteria that can become carbapenem-resistant. However, healthy people usually do not get CRE. Instead, people in hospitals are the usual targets of this type of superbug because they are connected to various medical equipment that can be contaminated.
