A superbug has killed two people at the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, and a contaminated endoscope may be to blame, investigators report.
In addition to the two known victims, the hospital has also contacted 179 other patients who may have come in contact with the medical device, used for examination of body openings, including throats. Test kits were also sent to those subjects who may have been infected by the instrument.
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) kills half of the patients it infects, earning it the title of a "nightmare bacteria" by the CDC.
"These outbreaks at UCLA and other hospitals could collectively be the most significant instance of disease transmission ever linked to a contaminated reusable medical instrument," Lawrence Muscarella, a hospital safety consultant, said.
Antibiotics have often been over-prescribed, often for diseases that were not bacterial. That behavior, combined with many patients not taking their full course of medication, contribute to the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Many of these are challenging or impossible to treat using the most common anti-bacterial drugs normally used to treat infections.
Public health officials in the Los Angeles region have been notified to be on the watch for CRE infections.
One unnamed 18-year-old patient infected by the contaminated instrument is suing Olympus Corporation, the manufacturer of the endoscope.
"It's just a terrifying thing. There were so many people exposed both at UCLA and potentially around the country. We hope we can help put a stop to this. If this can happen at one of the world's leading hospitals, UCLA Ronald Reagan, it can happen anywhere," Kevin Boyle, attorney for the plaintiff, said.
Olympus has not made a public statement on the lawsuit, but has stated they are careful to maintain high safety standards for their instruments. They have also distributed additional safety instructions to users to prevent further infections.
Boyle and his client are still investigating possible negligence or wrongdoing on the part of the medical center.
Endoscopes and other medical devices can pick up CRE from the inside of intestines, and spread the disease to other patients if it is not thoroughly sterilized. The duodenoscope, a special form of endscope, was used inside throats to diagnose bile duct and pancreatic diseases.
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae are a family of microbes that are extremely hard to treat due to their resistance to antibiotics.
As additional strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria evolve, researchers are racing to develop new treatments that can work around changing defenses in the microorganisms.
The vast majority of CRE infections occur in hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities. Infections can result in pneumonia, blood infections and urinary tract infections (UTI). People outside healthcare environments rarely contract the infection.
"Only patients who underwent this particular procedure during that timeframe are affected. No patients today at UCLA, including those undergoing endoscopic procedures, operative procedures, or clinic visits are at risk from this 'super-bug' outbreak," UCLA Ronald Reagan managers reported.
