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New bacteria gaining ground
New bacteria gaining ground
Los Angeles Times
<!-- begin body-content -->While infections with drug-resistant staph and E. coli have grabbed public attention, a new bacterial threat has emerged. Typically seen in elderly hospitalized patients, the illness has begun popping up among younger, healthier people.
The bacterium responsible is called Clostridium difficile, or C. difficile. Patients become ill with frequent bouts of watery diarrhea, fever and abdominal tenderness. In rare cases, it can progress to sepsis, colitis and even death.
"It's something that is usually acquired in the hospital," says Dr. Preeta Kutty, an investigator for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "But now the concern is that there is a new epidemic strain that is seen outside the hospital."
The strain seems to be more virulent than its predecessor.
C. difficile is found in feces. People become infected by touching contaminated items or surfaces and then transmitting it to their mouths. It gains ground when patients take antibiotics. The drugs upset the balance of normal bacteria in the colon, killing good types of bacteria that protect the body.
That allows C. difficile to flourish and begin releasing toxins that damage the intestines.
Though antibiotics can encourage C. difficile, other antibiotics are needed to curtail the infection. It is usually treated with an antibiotic called metronidazole. But some doctors recommend that severe cases be treated with vancomycin, an antibiotic that is usually considered the drug of last resort in curing infections.
Even people who appear successfully treated may not be cured. Up to 30 percent of patients suffer a recurrence. And 10 percent to 20 percent of those experience a third bout.
A vaccine is in the early stages of testing, and a drug treatment called tolevamer, which is designed to bind to and remove C. difficile toxins, is in phase-three clinical tests.
Consumers can do their part by being aware of C. difficile symptoms. Anyone with diarrhea lasting more than three days that is accompanied by a fever or blood in the stool should seek help.
Proper hand washing is essential to reduce spread of the illness.
Antibiotics should be prescribed only when clearly necessary.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/news...e/15941655.htm
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Los Angeles Times
<!-- begin body-content -->While infections with drug-resistant staph and E. coli have grabbed public attention, a new bacterial threat has emerged. Typically seen in elderly hospitalized patients, the illness has begun popping up among younger, healthier people.
The bacterium responsible is called Clostridium difficile, or C. difficile. Patients become ill with frequent bouts of watery diarrhea, fever and abdominal tenderness. In rare cases, it can progress to sepsis, colitis and even death.
"It's something that is usually acquired in the hospital," says Dr. Preeta Kutty, an investigator for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "But now the concern is that there is a new epidemic strain that is seen outside the hospital."
The strain seems to be more virulent than its predecessor.
C. difficile is found in feces. People become infected by touching contaminated items or surfaces and then transmitting it to their mouths. It gains ground when patients take antibiotics. The drugs upset the balance of normal bacteria in the colon, killing good types of bacteria that protect the body.
That allows C. difficile to flourish and begin releasing toxins that damage the intestines.
Though antibiotics can encourage C. difficile, other antibiotics are needed to curtail the infection. It is usually treated with an antibiotic called metronidazole. But some doctors recommend that severe cases be treated with vancomycin, an antibiotic that is usually considered the drug of last resort in curing infections.
Even people who appear successfully treated may not be cured. Up to 30 percent of patients suffer a recurrence. And 10 percent to 20 percent of those experience a third bout.
A vaccine is in the early stages of testing, and a drug treatment called tolevamer, which is designed to bind to and remove C. difficile toxins, is in phase-three clinical tests.
Consumers can do their part by being aware of C. difficile symptoms. Anyone with diarrhea lasting more than three days that is accompanied by a fever or blood in the stool should seek help.
Proper hand washing is essential to reduce spread of the illness.
Antibiotics should be prescribed only when clearly necessary.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/news...e/15941655.htm
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