This is possibly our biggest infection control dilemma yet. Although cases of this bacterial infection has been on the rise worldwide for the last 10 years, there is an alarming spread recently across the US. Thirty-five states have reported the outbreak, but there could be more in states not required to report it. What makes this opportunistic “superbug” such a nightmare is that it is Carbapenem-Resistant, meaning “last resort antibiotic” resistant. It’s a Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP); Klebsiella pneumoniae is a strain of Klebsiella which is related to E. Coli and Salmonella from the family Enterobacteriaceae.

Found inside the gut, outside of the gut, it can cause lethal infection. The major reservoirs of infection are the gastrointestinal tract of patients, catheters, unclean instruments, and the hands of hospital personnel. It zeros in on hospitals, ICUs, long term care faciities like nursing homes, and those with immuno-compromised conditions. It is a potential community-acquired type of pneumonia (different, not acquired from hospitals) and the bug has an incredible ability to mutate and resist. It does indeed carry a fatality rate between 35 and 50 percent or more.

Are we just to avoid hospitals and nursing homes to keep from this public threat? While CRKP and other resistant strains laugh in the face of antibiotics, there is some glimmer of hope. As of 2005, the EPA registered chlorine dioxide (aka MMS) as a disinfectant for MRSA. Pathogens cannot resist it and it does not harm humans. Unlike bleach, it requires very small concentrations, and leaves no residue. It completely breaks down thick cell walls which is one of the reasons these superbugs are so resistant.

As of 2006, Purdue University researchers found that besides laser detection technology,

“A second innovation uses chlorine dioxide gas to kill pathogens on produce, fresh fruits and vegetables. This would be a large step up from current technologies, which mainly involve washing and scrubbing, and cannot completely rid a product of a pathogen like E. coli,” said Richard Linton, a professor of food science.

“We can use the laser technology to detect problems more quickly, determine exactly what the pathogen is and where it came from,” Linton said. “As for using this gas as a disinfectant, I would say that in my 13 years of doing research, it is 10,000 to 100,000 times more effective than any process I have seen.”

It is not clear at this time if hospitals are rigorously trying to control the bug with this disinfectant. Let’s hope that hospitals, nursing homes and others not forget this lifesaving preventative and controller.

The CDC and LA Times reports a “Superbug” that kills 40% of the people it comes in contact with has hit 35 US States and is now being spread through California medical facilities.

LA Times: Health Freedoms

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