By Shaquille Blackstock, Staff Writer

Published in print Mar. 4, 2015

Americans are facing something quite different from the flu virus this year.

Mid-February, news broke about an outbreak at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in which an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria had taken the lives of two people, infecting five others.

Last week, numerous media outlets announced that several cases related to the bacteria had been reported by a hospital in Charlotte.

According to CNN’s official website, Kevin McCarthy, spokesman for the Carolinas HealthCare System, told reporters that a total of 18 people have contracted the bacteria so far this year, with one dying from the disease.

CNN reported that 15 out of the 18 patients were already infected before admission to the Charlotte hospital while the remaining three people acquired it while there.

The Carolinian spoke with Cone Health representative, Melissa G. Morgan, about this bacteria strain known as CRE, which has been deemed “the superbug.”

“CRE is Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.  It affects patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities who have been treated for another condition with antibiotics. The family of bacteria— Enterobacteriaceae, such as Klebsiella or E.coli— has developed an ability to resist antibiotic therapy,” Morgan explained.

Officials at UCLA Hospital say two medical scopes carrying the potentially lethal bacteria were responsible for the outbreak, despite the fact that medical personnel had used disinfecting procedures.

The California hospital was using a “duodenoscope” made by Olympus, but the FDA is also reviewing data from the two other U.S. companies— Fujifilm and Pentax— that also make the devices.

Personnel are currently contacting 179 others who underwent endoscopic procedures between October and January during which time the devices were used.

The hospital is offering the former patients home tests in order to screen for the superbug.

This recent outbreak of CRE is not the first wave to hit the United States, and certainly not North Carolina.

Morgan told The Carolinian that CRE, which was initially discovered in 1983, was reported in 2001 by Chapel Hill’s UNC Hospital when an antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella pneumonia isolate was discovered.

With the superbug’s 32-year history in the United States and this latest scare, many are wondering about symptoms and prevention. 

“Like all infection prevention efforts,” Morgan explained, “hand washing with soap and water is the number one way to prevent spread of infection.”

“The hospital takes additional measures to prevent transmission of CRE, or any other organism, such as cleaning and disinfection of medical equipment, prescribing antibiotics when necessary and removing in-dwelling medical devices as soon as possible,” Morgan concluded. 

As regards symptoms of CRE, the spokeswoman for Cone Health’s Infection Prevention program said, “Symptoms are related to the overall infection not the organism. Specifically, if the CRE is found in the urine it was because the patient was most likely complaining of urinary tract infection symptoms such as burning, odor, difficulty urinating, etc.”

Morgan argues that the public needs to be concerned about more than just symptoms and prevention, however.

“We need the public to recognize that the use of antibiotics must be protected,” she asserted. 

She continued, saying,“Overexposure is creating organisms that are more and more resistant, and new antibiotics are not scheduled for release for several years.” 

“Not every sniffle and cough needs an antibiotic, and we must support our medical practitioners in these prescription practices,” Morgan said.