March 17, 2016
By AP
Lansing, Mich. (AP) — Health officials (click here) have confirmed that a western Michigan resident died after contracting a bloodstream infection matching a Wisconsin outbreak.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says Thursday that it was notified March 11 by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the match. The person was an older adult with underlying health conditions.
Wisconsin officials say 17 people with infections caused by Elizabethkingia (ee-LIZ'-ah-beth-kin-GEE'-ah) bacteria have died since November and that the outbreak is the largest recorded in published literature.
The bacteria is common in the environment, but rarely causes infections.
CDC spokeswoman Melissa Brower says "it shouldn't be assumed" the person from Michigan had been to Wisconsin because the states are in the same geographic region.
From the CDC website, the Elizabethkingia meningoseptica is affiliated with what is called a nosocomial infection. A nosocomial infection is a hospital acquired infection. Evidently, the lungs are involved. Patients in critical care units can be on life support including ventilators. Ventilators are part of the surgical suite as well. General anesthesia requires ventilator support of the patient.
Elizabethkingia meningoseptica (click here) is an infrequent colonizer of the respiratory tract; its pathogenicity is uncertain. In the context of a 22-month outbreak of E. meningoseptica acquisition affecting 30 patients in a London, UK, critical care unit (3% attack rate) we derived a measure of attributable morbidity and determined whether E. meningoseptica is an emerging nosocomial pathogen. We found monomicrobial E. meningoseptica acquisition (n = 13) to have an attributable morbidity rate of 54% (systemic inflammatory response syndrome >2, rising C-reactive protein, new radiographic changes), suggesting that E. meningoseptica is a pathogen. Epidemiologic and molecular evidence showed acquisition was water-source–associated in critical care but identified numerous other E. meningoseptica strains, indicating more widespread distribution than previously considered. Analysis of changes in gram-negative speciation rates across a wider London hospital network suggests this outbreak, and possibly other recently reported outbreaks, might reflect improved diagnostics and that E. meningoseptica thus is a pseudo-emerging pathogen.
...The outbreak in the UK was from water sources. Water faucets. Get rid of the crusty mess that occurs. FIRST take swabs for nosocomial infection and then clean them mercilessly. If the lab swabs show the organism REPLACE THE FAUCETS....
Outbreaks have been linked to hospital water sources in adult critical care units (8,13); these outbreaks have been suggested to be attributable to the tolerance exhibited by Elizabethkingia species to such environments.
Ventilators should be cleaned with BOTTLED STERILE WATER and surgical cloths along with the chemicals that sanitize the ventilator ONLY! Ventilator sterilization has to be reviewed. If there is heat applied then the organism has become resistant to the heat and a different temperature may have to be employed OR temperature and ADDED PRESSURE.
No cutting corners because some damn CEO demands it. If that is what is giving this organism opportunity the CEO needs to be fired!
gram-negative nonfermenting obligate aerobe
Nonfermenting means it doesn't use the body's sugars to grow.
This is a strange one and borders on the environment of a fungus. However, this obligate aerobe doesn't use sugars to grow. We are in trouble. It is a mutant determined to survive in an environment no matter what. I don't know if that departure from consuming sugars is an enhancement to treatment or deterrent. Fungus are some of the worst infections a human being can get and evidently, this thing is as virulent as it's cousin.
The lungs are rich with oxygen and nutrients and water. The respiratory organisms are exceptionally dangerous. One might recall SARS.
Typical medicines minocycline, rifampin, SXT, and quinolones. Typical food carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Carbohydrates and fats produce sugars in metabolism. Proteins???
Starve the damn thing. Remove the amino acids from it's environment and see if it grows.
By AP
Lansing, Mich. (AP) — Health officials (click here) have confirmed that a western Michigan resident died after contracting a bloodstream infection matching a Wisconsin outbreak.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says Thursday that it was notified March 11 by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the match. The person was an older adult with underlying health conditions.
Wisconsin officials say 17 people with infections caused by Elizabethkingia (ee-LIZ'-ah-beth-kin-GEE'-ah) bacteria have died since November and that the outbreak is the largest recorded in published literature.
The bacteria is common in the environment, but rarely causes infections.
CDC spokeswoman Melissa Brower says "it shouldn't be assumed" the person from Michigan had been to Wisconsin because the states are in the same geographic region.
From the CDC website, the Elizabethkingia meningoseptica is affiliated with what is called a nosocomial infection. A nosocomial infection is a hospital acquired infection. Evidently, the lungs are involved. Patients in critical care units can be on life support including ventilators. Ventilators are part of the surgical suite as well. General anesthesia requires ventilator support of the patient.
Elizabethkingia meningoseptica (click here) is an infrequent colonizer of the respiratory tract; its pathogenicity is uncertain. In the context of a 22-month outbreak of E. meningoseptica acquisition affecting 30 patients in a London, UK, critical care unit (3% attack rate) we derived a measure of attributable morbidity and determined whether E. meningoseptica is an emerging nosocomial pathogen. We found monomicrobial E. meningoseptica acquisition (n = 13) to have an attributable morbidity rate of 54% (systemic inflammatory response syndrome >2, rising C-reactive protein, new radiographic changes), suggesting that E. meningoseptica is a pathogen. Epidemiologic and molecular evidence showed acquisition was water-source–associated in critical care but identified numerous other E. meningoseptica strains, indicating more widespread distribution than previously considered. Analysis of changes in gram-negative speciation rates across a wider London hospital network suggests this outbreak, and possibly other recently reported outbreaks, might reflect improved diagnostics and that E. meningoseptica thus is a pseudo-emerging pathogen.
...The outbreak in the UK was from water sources. Water faucets. Get rid of the crusty mess that occurs. FIRST take swabs for nosocomial infection and then clean them mercilessly. If the lab swabs show the organism REPLACE THE FAUCETS....
Outbreaks have been linked to hospital water sources in adult critical care units (8,13); these outbreaks have been suggested to be attributable to the tolerance exhibited by Elizabethkingia species to such environments.
Ventilators should be cleaned with BOTTLED STERILE WATER and surgical cloths along with the chemicals that sanitize the ventilator ONLY! Ventilator sterilization has to be reviewed. If there is heat applied then the organism has become resistant to the heat and a different temperature may have to be employed OR temperature and ADDED PRESSURE.
No cutting corners because some damn CEO demands it. If that is what is giving this organism opportunity the CEO needs to be fired!
gram-negative nonfermenting obligate aerobe
Nonfermenting means it doesn't use the body's sugars to grow.
This is a strange one and borders on the environment of a fungus. However, this obligate aerobe doesn't use sugars to grow. We are in trouble. It is a mutant determined to survive in an environment no matter what. I don't know if that departure from consuming sugars is an enhancement to treatment or deterrent. Fungus are some of the worst infections a human being can get and evidently, this thing is as virulent as it's cousin.
The lungs are rich with oxygen and nutrients and water. The respiratory organisms are exceptionally dangerous. One might recall SARS.
Typical medicines minocycline, rifampin, SXT, and quinolones. Typical food carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Carbohydrates and fats produce sugars in metabolism. Proteins???
Starve the damn thing. Remove the amino acids from it's environment and see if it grows.
