Video- Nightmare bacteria: "Superbugs" in U.S. hospitals

By Susan Duclos

Break from politics for a medical story that should be known….

CBS News interviewed Dr Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about what is being dubbed as the “Nightmare Bacteria”, now in 42 states with a fatality rate of 50 percent in patients who get bloodstream infections from CREs.

Video of the interview at YouTube.

The  lethal germs called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are resistant to antibiotics and the Washington Post explains the triple threat:

Although the bacteria, known as Carbapenen-Resistant
Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, haven’t spread to the wider community — like
some other germs — they are more dangerous, said Frieden, who described
them as a “triple threat.”

First, the bacteria are resistant to all or nearly all antibiotics, even those of last resort,
he said. Second, they kill up to half of patients who get bloodstream
infections from them. And third, the bacteria can transfer their
antibiotic resistance to other bacteria within the family, potentially
making other bacteria untreatable, as well.

For example, carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella, which
caused the NIH outbreak, “can spread the genes that destroy our last
antibiotics to other bacteria, such as E. coli, and make E. coli
resistant to antibiotics also,” Frieden said.

The most alarming part of this story comes from something Frieden said at a news conference when he states “It’s not often that our scientists come to me and say we have a very
serious problem and we need to sound an alarm. But that’s exactly what
we are doing today.”

The CDC website provides some more information on CRE:

A new Vital Signs report
shows that antibiotics are being overpowered by lethal germs called
carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).These germs cause lethal
infections in patients receiving inpatient medical care, such as in
hospitals, long-term acute care facilities, and nursing homes.

In their usual forms, germs from the Enterobacteriaceae family (e.g. E. coli)
are a normal part of the human digestive system. However, some of these
germs have developed defenses to fight off all or almost all
antibiotics we have today.When these germs get into the blood, bladder
or other areas where germs don’t belong, patients suffer from infections
that are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat.

While CDC
has warned about CRE for more than a decade, new information shows that
these germs are now becoming more common. One type of CRE has been
detected in medical facilities in 42 states. Even more concerning, this
report documents a seven-fold increase in the spread of the most common
type of CRE during the past 10 years.

Why are CRE so alarming?
Even though these infections are not
common, their rise is alarming because they kill up to half of people
who get severe infections from them. In addition to causing lethal
infections among patients, CRE are especially good at giving their
antibiotic-fighting abilities to other kinds of germs.This means that in
the near future, more bacteria will become immune to treatment, and
more patients’ lives could be at risk from routine bladder or wound
infections. Without serious efforts to stop CRE in medical facilities,
and without rapid improvement in the way doctors everywhere prescribe
antibiotics, CRE will likely become a problem in the community, among
otherwise healthy people not receiving medical care.

How can CRE be stopped?
There
have been major successes in stopping CRE in medical facilities in the
United States, and nationally in other countries. Stopping CRE will take
a rapid, coordinated, and aggressive “Detect and Protect” action that
includes intense infection prevention work and antibiotic prescribing
changes. CDC released a CRE prevention toolkit in 2012 reiterating
practical CRE prevention and control steps. Leadership and medical staff
in hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, nursing homes, health
departments, and even outpatient practices must work together to
implement these recommendations to protect patients from CRE.

 
CRE Infographic below: (Click graphic to enlarge)