A recent BBC report urged hospitals to be on guard against an emerging superbug threat that like MRSA or C-Diff strikes the most severely ill or weakened patients. The bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii is a highly drug resistant species that can cause severe or even life threatening infections. Approximately 30% of AB cases are resistant to antibiotics. The germ is becoming a worldwide health threat.
AB first gained world attention when service personnel who were sick or wounded in Iraq became ill with the bacteria. The bacteria resulted n many service men losing limbs to the bacteria and in some cases lost their lives when the raging bacteria could not be halted. It was determined that the AB that was infecting soldiers was being acquired in the very hospitals in which they were being treated making it a noscomial (hospital acquired) infection.
AB shares many of the same traits as MRSA and C-Diff infections, such as antibiotic resistance and the ability to live for long periods on time on hospital surfaces. The AB bacteria can also be resistant to some types of disinfectants. The bacteria can also live on the hands of healthy people and be passed by poor hand hygiene.
The bacteria do not cause a threat to normally healthy people. Measures to fight the superbug include rigorous cleaning of rooms, isolation procedures of infected patients, and special medication regimens for sick patients. Patients that are susceptible to the bacteria are those that are in intensive care units, require respirator support or who have open wounds.
Please note: The information in this article is not to be followed as
medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your physician
or primary health practitioner for information regarding your own personal
health and necessary treatments.
