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Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vic...-1225871333855
Killer virus found in Melbourne
* Marianne Betts
* From: Herald Sun
* May 26, 2010 12:00AM
A DEADLY stomach bug that has killed thousands in North America and Europe is in Melbourne.
A private Melbourne hospital last night confirmed three elderly patients had been infected with the killer strain, and it was likely to be more widespread.
Epworth Hospital executive medical director Megan Robertson said this hypervirulent strain of Clostridium difficile had not been previously detected in Australia.
"But having said that the testing in Australia is very limited,'' Dr Robertson said.
"The hypervirulent strain is quite difficult to get tested in Australia, and in fact we had to send our specimens to a laboratory in Western Australia.''
She said the three patients to test positive were potentially just the tip of the iceberg across the country.
It was a cause for concern because the virus was increasing in virulence and highly infectious, she said.
Two patients had recovered and been discharged, and the third was still in hospital being treated for an unrelated illness.
"So we haven't had any severe outcomes from this, but it is highly infectious.''
While the bug could be passed from person to person, Dr Robertson said there was no evidence of a link between the three patients.
It was mostly a hospital infection, affecting elderly patient who were sick with another illness.
The bug had been picked up after aggressive routine testing of patients with diarrheoa began at Epworth Hospital in February.
The bug, which has been extensive through North America, Europe and the UK for at least the last two years.
It is also known as the Quebec strain after it killed 1270 people in the Canadian province in 2003, and caused 8324 deaths in Britain in 2007.
Killer virus found in Melbourne
* Marianne Betts
* From: Herald Sun
* May 26, 2010 12:00AM
A DEADLY stomach bug that has killed thousands in North America and Europe is in Melbourne.
A private Melbourne hospital last night confirmed three elderly patients had been infected with the killer strain, and it was likely to be more widespread.
Epworth Hospital executive medical director Megan Robertson said this hypervirulent strain of Clostridium difficile had not been previously detected in Australia.
"But having said that the testing in Australia is very limited,'' Dr Robertson said.
"The hypervirulent strain is quite difficult to get tested in Australia, and in fact we had to send our specimens to a laboratory in Western Australia.''
She said the three patients to test positive were potentially just the tip of the iceberg across the country.
It was a cause for concern because the virus was increasing in virulence and highly infectious, she said.
Two patients had recovered and been discharged, and the third was still in hospital being treated for an unrelated illness.
"So we haven't had any severe outcomes from this, but it is highly infectious.''
While the bug could be passed from person to person, Dr Robertson said there was no evidence of a link between the three patients.
It was mostly a hospital infection, affecting elderly patient who were sick with another illness.
The bug had been picked up after aggressive routine testing of patients with diarrheoa began at Epworth Hospital in February.
The bug, which has been extensive through North America, Europe and the UK for at least the last two years.
It is also known as the Quebec strain after it killed 1270 people in the Canadian province in 2003, and caused 8324 deaths in Britain in 2007.