Reply #21: Pseudomonas is a "water bug"

[du_grad]

Pseudomonads are very common. They exist in water. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is just one of many in the same genus. They have been known to cause skin rashes on people who soak in improperly cleaned hot tubs, as they can thrive at 42 degrees C (which is pretty hot - 35 degrees C is around 98 degrees F). Most people don't get infected with Pseudomonas. Any of you with asthma inhalers are warned to clean them out periodically. This organism is the main reason why - go wash out your inhaler NOW!

Pseudomonas infections happen in hospitals. These bugs are usually not the first line organisms of infection but happen later on after heavy antibiotics are used to try to stop life threatening infections from other bacteria. I am a microbiology technologist who works in clinical micro and have been working on cultures for nearly 30 years. Some Pseudo's are more resistant than others. A few are extremely resistant to antibiotics. Many times infection with Pseudo. aeruginosa is via ventilators in ICU units. They thrive in moist environments (mist inside vents). Add in all those mucus secretions to grow on and your body becomes a nice culture medium. They can also infect the urinary tract via indwelling catheters. Again, they usually replace the original infectious agent after the original antibiotics kill that one off. They thrive in patients who are chronically or severely ill and/or immunocompromised.

Hospital acquired infection can be due to many different types of bacteria. P. aeruginosa is just one of these. I'm sure the entire story isn't out yet on this poor girl's tragic death. She was very young to have died this way. The fact that there also were amputations involved lead me to believe that she had other infectious processes going on also.

http://medind.nic.in/ibi/t06/i4/ibit06i4p287.pdf

This article is technical but outlines rising carbapenem resistance. Carbapenems have been used in the past to treat serious Pseudomonas and other gram negative infections (Pseudomonads are classified as gram negative rods). The bacteria are getting smarter and are producing enzymes that break down carbapenems. This is fairly recent (last five years or so). Doctors are running out of big gun antibiotics to treat these horrible infections. The last paragraph in this article says it all:

"Antibiotic resistance is increasing at an alarming rate, leading to increased morbidity, mortality and treatment costs. A key factor in the development of antibiotic resistance is the inappropriate use of antibiotics. The medical fraternity needs to understand that antibiotics constitute a precious and finite resource. Unless conscious efforts are made to contain the menace of drug resistance, multi-drug resistant organisms, untreatable by every known antibiotic, may emerge, reversing the medical progress made by mankind and throwing us back to the pre-antibiotic era."

We are seeing organisms, mostly another gram negative called Acinetobacter baumanii, being resistant to nearly every antibiotic we test. This is another multi-drug-resistant bug hospitals and medical professionals are watching closely.

To become a long term patient in an ICU unit anywhere means you are being exposed to many resistant bacteria. If you are visiting patients in ICU units you can take these organisms out with you. Insist on handwashing by all personnel who touch your loved ones. Do NOT take the kids in to visit your loved one in these units. Don't camp out in ICU waiting rooms with your kids. People are in and out of these units all day long bringing these bugs out with them. Yes, I know, you put a couple of dabs of hand gel on your hands and you feel safe. It's still better to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water and not eat food in hospital waiting rooms or have your kids in them. Go down to the cafeteria to eat. Wash your hands well BEFORE you eat and BEFORE you touch the food. Believe me. I see what grows on these patients from ICU units. I work with these cultures all of the time. Nursing home patients, expecially patients who were recently discharged from ICU's to go to skilled care hospitals and who are still on vents, pose the same risks. Don't take tiny kids to visit auntie/grandma/grandpa in these units if they're freshly out of ICU or if they had MRSA or other multi-drug resistant infections while in the hospital. New studies have shown that these bugs can travel around on your clothes. I'm not saying this to make you paranoid; I'm saying this stuff to make you aware that the bacteria ARE out there. Most people who die tragically like this are not famous. It just so happened that she was high profile so it made the news. People die of these types of infections in hospitals EVERY DAY.

Go and wash your hands now.