Flesh-eating disease outbreak hits Winnipeg's homeless

[Antaletriangle]

http://www.montrealgazette.com/Healt...080/story.html

WINNIPEG — An outbreak of potentially deadly flesh-eating disease erupted among Winnipeg's homeless last year, infecting 12 people with an invasive bacteria that spreads rapidly and causes severe pain and disfiguration.


Winnipeg health officials did not publicly disclose that a cluster of cases was reported in the city area between April and October 2008 until questioned by the Winnipeg Free Press this week.


Dr. Pierre Plourde, a Winnipeg medical officer of health, said inner-city shelters were alerted about the spike in cases and told to watch for anyone with wounds or sore throats who may be at an increased risk of developing the infection.


He said there were four or five strains of flesh-eating disease that were reported and there was no evidence that anyone infected transmitted the disease to another person.


Nine of the 12 people infected had recently suffered a major injury, including one person who was severely burned in a fire. Plourde said no one infected died of flesh-eating disease.


Manitoba's chief medical examiner Dr. Thambirajah Balachandra confirmed a total of five people died from flesh-eating disease in 2008, including one death in August, October and November — the same time the outbreak occurred in downtown Winnipeg.


Plourde could not confirm whether any patients had limbs amputated.


Plourde said the bacteria can infect anyone, but people who have weakened immune systems or open wounds, or who have recently undergone surgery, are more at risk. He said the city's homeless population tends to delay seeking medical treatment until they're in dire need.


Flesh-eating disease is a bacteria that quickly destroys tissue and muscles, and originates from the same bacteria that causes strep throat. It can cause death in as little as 12 to 24 hours, but can be treated with heavy doses of antibiotics and with surgery to remove diseased tissue. Often, afflicted limbs are amputated to save someone's life.


There are typically less than four cases of flesh-eating disease in Manitoba a year and Plourde said health officials first noticed a pattern among the cluster of cases in September. He said no new cases have been reported since October and that the public wasn't notified of the outbreak since it was concentrated among a small number of inner-city residents.


"We have no evidence the general public was at risk during the cluster of cases in 2008, therefore (there was) no need to notify or alarm the general public. It was a very focused cluster in a relatively small population group," Plourde said.


"It can happen in a nursing home, in can happen in a group home, shelter, (and) again the public doesn't need to know about it if the public isn't at risk."


Although flesh-eating disease is considered rare, Plourde said the province recorded 16 cases in 2008 — four times the number that is typically reported.


Manitoba Health disease statistics show the number of flesh-eating cases has skyrocketed in the past three years: 56 cases were reported between 2006 and October 2008, compared to only 12 total cases in 2005 and 2004.


At least seven Manitobans infected with the invasive bacteria have died since 2006. Officials are still reviewing one suspected death from 2008.


Plourde said it's difficult to explain the recent outbreak, but emphasized that diseases tend to go in waves and more people may be carrying strep throat bacteria. He said shelter overcrowding and lack of proper hygiene among inner-city homeless could explain the rash of cases.


He said the best way to avoid becoming sick is to practice proper handwashing and wound care and report to a physician if you experience a skin rash at the same time as sore throat.


"Everybody can potentially get this disease, so that's what unnerving about this bacteria," Plourde said. "Fortunately, it's still a very rare thing to see."

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

[WiNaDeYo]

Miss World finalist has hands and feet amputated after being hit by infection

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...infection.html

Brazilian Miss World finalist Mariana Bridi has hands, feet amputated after severe infection

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/20...iana_br-1.html

[Dantheman62]

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Health officials say a Brazilian model whose feet and hands were amputated because of an infection has died.

Officials said in a statement early Saturday that 20-year-old Mariana Bridi's condition deteriorated overnight. She died at 2:30 a.m.

The Espirito Santo State Health Secretariat said in the statement she died from complications related to a generalized infection. It was caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is known to be resistant to multiple kinds of antibiotics.

Bridi had been in the hospital in the city of Serra in southeastern Brazil since Jan. 3. She fell ill in December and doctors originally diagnosed her with kidney stones, local media said.

[pyrangello]

I'm not a doctor but I can tell you all that I have heard is to stay away from all the anti-bacterial everything, soap, tissues, ect. By using all this stuff it actually does the opposite effect to your immune system by not constantly putting your immune system in working mode.

This past year in michigan I heard of 2 people here with that flesch eating diesease. None of them new how they got it, ect. ect.

My buddy who is a surgeon with 20,000 surgeries under his belt said that every hundred years or so something comes around and takes out a bunch of people. Were kinda in that cusp of that cycle. My great grandpas first wife and 2 kids all died of that influenza outbreak in 1918. I was talking to my other friend in new york this past summer and he told me that his mother told him stories of families wrapping their deceased loved ones in blankets after they had died of the influenza in new york in 1918 and then setting their wrapped bodies out by the curb in the snow during the frigid winter to be picked up.

With everything gfoing on , bird flu, this stuff, ebola, recession, depression, and on and on,. just get yourself in and offense mode, stock up til your comfortable and live your life.

On behalf of myself and the avalon family prayers and condolences to the Bridi's family. May Mariana be flying high in the sky with all the angels above.

[burgundia]

Originally Posted by pyrangello

I'm not a doctor but I can tell you all that I have heard is to stay away from all the anti-bacterial everything, soap, tissues, ect. By using all this stuff it actually does the opposite effect to your immune system by not constantly putting your immune system in working mode.

This past year in michigan I heard of 2 people here with that flesch eating diesease. None of them new how they got it, ect. ect.

My buddy who is a surgeon with 20,000 surgeries under his belt said that every hundred years or so something comes around and takes out a bunch of people. Were kinda in that cusp of that cycle. My great grandpas first wife and 2 kids all died of that influenza outbreak in 1918. I was talking to my other friend in new york this past summer and he told me that his mother told him stories of families wrapping their deceased loved ones in blankets after they had died of the influenza in new york in 1918 and then setting their wrapped bodies out by the curb in the snow during the frigid winter to be picked up.

With everything gfoing on , bird flu, this stuff, ebola, recession, depression, and on and on,. just get yourself in and offense mode, stock up til your comfortable and live your life.

On behalf of myself and the avalon family prayers and condolences to the Bridi's family. May Mariana be flying high in the sky with all the angels above.

I have been staying away from anything antibacterial for years now. I have always eaten strawberries from my father's garden with (sometimes) alittle bit of dirt on them and I have never had any problems afterwards, not even with the stomach.

I can't help but think about the health warning on national media back in November from Health organizations warning about major outbreaks of bacterial and viral infections, like we have never experienced before.

Personally I have seen people experiencing a dibillitating flu-like illness, heard of many cases in adults of measles, and other childhood diseases, it just seems to be a simultaneous world wide affliction of some kind.

These outbreaks are common but at the same time in different parts of the world after such a warning makes you stop and wonder if there isn't more to this than meets the eye. I would love to see members posting about area outbreaks that catch your attention.

[burgundia]

In Poland they have been warning for a few days about the flu coming our way from Slovakia.

[dagon]

Originally Posted by burgundia

I have been staying away from anything antibacterial for years now. I have always eaten strawberries from my father's garden with (sometimes) alittle bit of dirt on them and I have never had any problems afterwards, not even with the stomach.

I use tea tree products. and that's about it. I like to put a drop of oil in a tooth brush. I also like oregano oil. and a few other natural products. and by no means a neat freak. that's really to bad about john travolta and his son.

[waitinginthewings]

When I was in Costco this week, I was looking to stock up on some hand soap. I noticed the regular soap, and the anti-bacterial kind which was over $1 more expensive. Of course I bought the regular soap. Despite the warnings about this anti-bacterial soap actually being a bad thing, manufacturers are still selling it and charging more for it.

[burgundia]

I read somewhere ( here?) that when you add oregano to not so pure water it will kill all the harmful bacteria. I think it is worth remembering.

[waitinginthewings]

Originally Posted by burgundia

I read somewhere ( here?) that when you add oregano to not so pure water it will kill all the harmful bacteria. I think it is worth remembering.

Do you mean oregano oil....to use oregano powder would be pretty messy.

[Egg]

necrotising fasciitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes?

Streptococcus pyogenes' invasion strategy is somewhat direct - and brutal. It usually enters the human body where there is a break in the skin caused by injury. This includes cuts, burns, penetrating injuries, blunt trauma operative sites, enterostomy (the surgical operation of making an artificial opening into the intestine through the abdominal wall, as for drainage), ulcers and diabetic feet. Once in the bloodstream, the bacteria moves rapidly through tissue in a path along the fascia, which is the subcutaneous tissue (just beneath the skin) surrounding the muscle. Rapid multiplication of this invading army causes antibodies to recognise them and to release chemicals called cytokines7 that signal white blood cells to swallow the bacteria.

In the case of S pyogenes infection, phagocytosis (ingestion) of the bacteria is not necessarily a good thing - they pose a 'digestive problem' for the macrophages. An important cell wall component called peptidoglycan is very resistant to digestion, and will persist in the macrophages for as long as 146 days! Therefore, macrophages that have 'indigestion' (ie are laden with too much peptidoglycan from one too many killings) will accumulate in sites of infection. These cells are leaky, and enzymes that leak out from it will cause, among other things, local damage to collagen fibres and the connective tissue matrix. Many of these macrophages will die or form giant cells, and cause chronic inflammatory lesions in the host.

However, all pathogenic strains of S pyogenes have a protein called M protein, which enables them to escape from being eaten. The M protein prevents opsonization (the coating of a particle surface to facilitate engulfment by phagocytes) of the bacteria by a component of the complement cascade called C3b. This prevents formation of the enzyme C3 convertase, thus stopping the classical pathway cascade. Thankfully for us, S pyogenes isn't completely able to avoid phagocytosis. This is because when the bacterial cell breaks apart, it releases certain components that can also activate the complement cascade. At the same time, S pyogenes releases a torrent of toxins that cause massive tissue damage. This extensive tissue damage manifests itself as necrotizing fasciitis.

If the disease is allowed to progress, the body can go into systemic shock, resulting in multiple organ failure, collapse of the circulatory system due to disseminated intravascular coagulation (clotting of blood, spread out within the blood vessels). The coagulation cascade is activated during septic shock, causing formation of numerous small blood clots, which obstruct normal blood flow. The body's blood supply is consequently sequestered in the small blood vessels instead of the major ones, resulting in a drastic drop of blood pressure. The decrease of blood flow to essential organs in the body leads to oxygen starvation and, eventually, organ failure. Because this consumes abnormal amounts of fibrinogens and platelets (essential components in blood coagulation) these resources are depleted, resulting in haemorrhages that can further damage organs. Death is imminent.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A907481

Big quote, but here is the most important advice ever....


Wash your hands in hot soapy water!

Don't take my word for it, that advice comes from a microbiologist. Normal soap folks.

Let me say, for the record, the best thing you can do for the prevention of the spread of pathogens, is WASH YOUR HANDS! I don't mean soak them in bleach or harsh chemicals. Just plain soap works just as well. Soap makes your skin slippery, so the pathogens slide right off. I'm not a big fan of antibacterial soaps and gels. Antibacterial soaps and gels kill everything in sight, including your beneficial normal flora. Also they contribute to the evolution of more resistant bugs- like MRSA! Just use common sense, and wash your hands when they are dirty!

http://www.squidoo.com/bacteria

How does a young, vivacious model develop a UTI and end up dying after having several weeks of extensive surgery? Even more perplexing, how did this occur to begin with? According to the A.P., Brazilian Model Mariana Bridi, aged 20, had been hospitalized since January 3rd. During this time she endured numerous surgeries and procedures including amputation of both hands and feet as well as a portion of her stomach due to a toxic effect of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Doctors had originally diagnosed her with kidney stones in December, however as her condition worsened she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. It eventually spread through her blood stream causing local gangrene to her limbs and internal bleeding. She died while hooked to a ventilator that breathed for her and on hemodialysis that cleansed her blood. It was a systemic Psuedomonas aeruginosa infection that ultimately killed her.

Psuedomonas aeruginosa is a very opportunistic pathogen. It very rarely causes disease in healthy persons however. In most cases of infection, there is a break in the integrity of the skin or mucous membranes. Sometimes an underlying immune deficiency such as a reduced white count (neutropenia) or immunosuppression from medication or disease is present which makes treating it more difficult. Adding to its pathogenicity, this bacterium has minimal requirements and is very hardy. Moreover, it is a very smart bacterium and is becoming more and more drug resistant…and from what I read it is prevalent in the hospitals of Brazil. How this girl contracted such a virulent strain outside of the hospital is a mystery to me. It usually is introduced by invasive procedures such as an indwelling catheter. But then again, times are changing…and so is our environment.

As a nurse with over 2 decades of experience, I can tell you that Pseudomonas is becoming a front runner in the Drug Resistant pathogens. By now most everyone has heard of Methacillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA). But have you heard of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE)? How about Multi Drug Resistant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (MDRPA)? This is when Pseudomonas becomes resistant the major drug groups that treat it such as Levaquin, Amikacin, Gentamycin and others. I have not read that this was the strain that lead to her death; however I would not be surprised.

Back in my early career in the 1980’s Pseudomonas was mostly an infection of the respiratory tract of the elderly and people with Cystic Fibrosis. Sometimes you would see it in the wounds of the immunocompromised and diabetics. It was not uncommon to treat these wounds with a simple ¼ strength acetic acid irrigations (vinegar) and topical antibiotics. If the infection was in the urine or respiratory tract we would give Penicillin derivatives or Tobramycin. It was usually considered an “institutionally acquired” pathogen. This means that it was not as prevalent in the community as it would be in hospitals, nursing homes and clinics. Not so anymore however.

Just last month I was helping an 18 year old plan for his discharge home. He needed wound care and 6 weeks of daily intravenous antibiotics. He needed this because he had to have his right eye removed after developing a Pseudomonas infection. This was from a corneal abrasion from his contact lenses being left in too long. The doctor felt that most likely the infection developed from the use of contaminated eye drops he was using while trying to treat his own injury initially. What a wake up call for this young man. When you consider the fact that it was confined only to his eye he was lucky in comparison however.

What can you do to help prevent this? Be judicious in using antibiotics casually for minor infections and virus that antibiotics can not treat anyhow. Be diligent in washing your hands and keeping your surroundings clean (not sterile). Keep your immune system healthy by proper diet and adequate vitamin intake. Most importantly keep your gut healthy with the use of probiotics on a daily basis. It is in your intestinal tract that much of your immune system lies.


http://www.examiner.com/x-876-Tampa-...-Mariana-Bridi

We can't say exactly what will happen if you have a kidney infection. Some people get better quickly with treatment. But these infections can be serious. Some people need treatment in hospital.

What will happen to you depends on several things. These include:[1] [2]

* How bad your infection is
* How old you are
* Whether you have other health problems
* Whether you get the right medicine
* Whether treatment works for you.

If your doctor thinks you have a kidney infection, you'll probably need to give a urine sample. This can be tested to find out what kind of bacteria are causing your symptoms. Your doctor can then prescribe the type of drug that's best at killing those bacteria. To read more about giving a urine sample, see What are the symptoms of a kidney infection?

Your treatment also depends on whether your kidney infection is complicated or uncomplicated. If your infection is complicated, it means it's more serious for some reason. You might have another medical condition that makes your infection worse, for example.
Being treated at home

If you have an uncomplicated infection, you'll probably be treated at home. If you get the right treatment, you should be feeling much better within a few days. You'll probably be completely cured after two weeks.[3]

About 9 in 10 people with an uncomplicated infection can be treated at home. But your doctor needs to make sure that you:[1]

* Can take drugs as tablets (you don't need to be given drugs as a drip). For example, if you're being sick a lot you might not be able to take tablets
* Have good support at home.

If you're treated at home, you'll probably be advised to take paracetamol to reduce pain and fever. To read more, see Painkillers for people with a kidney infection. You'll also be advised to drink plenty of fluids.

You'll need to see a doctor for check-ups. Let the doctor know if you are not getting better, or are getting worse, after a few days.[4]
Being treated in hospital

You'll need to be treated in hospital if:[5]

* You're being sick a lot and can't keep fluids down
* You're no better after three days or you're getting worse
* You have signs of sepsis. Sepsis is a dangerous problem caused by bacteria getting into your bloodstream.
* Your doctor isn't sure your symptoms are caused by a kidney infection
* Your urinary tract is blocked. Your urinary tract includes your kidneys, bladder and the tubes that carry urine.

You may need to go to hospital if you:

* Are over 60
* Are pregnant
* Have another health problem that affects your urinary tract
* Have an immune system that's been weakened and can't fight disease as well as it should. This could be because of diabetes, cancer or an organ transplant.
* Think you would find it difficult to get to follow-up appointments
* Don't have good support at home.

Women with a kidney infection are about five times more likely than men to need treatment in hospital.[1]

If you're treated in hospital, you'll probably be given antibiotics as a drip into a vein (also called an intravenous infusion or IV). Drugs given as a drip work quickly because they go straight into your bloodstream. Once you're feeling better, usually after two or three days, you'll probably move on to antibiotic tablets.[6]
How long will I need treatment?

Most people need to take antibiotics for about two weeks. But if you have a mild infection, taking them for one week may be enough.[6] If you have a complicated kidney infection, you may need to take antibiotics for as long as three weeks.[2] It's very important to finish the course of tablets, even if you feel better before you've finished taking them.

You should have another urine test one or two weeks after you finish taking antibiotics. This is to make sure that you're not infected any more.[1]

Sometimes antibiotic treatment doesn't work. This may happen if:[1]

* The bacteria that are causing the infection have become resistant to the particular drug you've been given. This means the bacteria have changed and can't be killed by that drug. You'll need to be given another drug.
* You have a kidney stone. You may need an operation to remove it.

What complications could I get?

Although most people get better completely with treatment, some go on to have complications. These can include:[7]

* A build-up of pus in your kidney, called an abscess. You may need an operation to remove the pus.
* Sepsis. This is a serious illness caused by bacteria getting into your bloodstream. The bacteria make poisonous chemicals which can make you very ill. If you get sepsis, you'll need intensive care in hospital and antibiotics given by a drip.
* Sudden kidney failure. This is when your kidneys stop working. It's a serious problem, and you'll need intensive care in hospital, but it usually gets better. While your kidneys aren't working, you may need a treatment called dialysis. Dialysis uses a machine to filter your blood and remove waste and fluids in the same way your kidneys would.

Some people get repeated kidney infections. This can lead to scarring and permanent damage to the kidney.[8] These infections usually happen less often with time, but your doctor may recommend that you take a small dose of an antibiotic every day to prevent them.[4]

It's rare for a kidney infection to be bad enough to die of, but it can happen. Men are more likely to die from a kidney infection than women. About 16 men die for every 1,000 who have a kidney infection. For women, it's only about 7 in 1,000.[9]

[burgundia]

Originally Posted by waitinginthewings

Do you mean oregano oil....to use oregano powder would be pretty messy.

You can grow your own oregano and add leaves( I think, I have never seen it in its natural form but I am going to grow it this year just to see) to water. And may be boil...?