Acinetobacter, resistant - Canada: (QC) ex Afghanistan
Date: Thu 20 Aug 2009
Source: Canadian Press [edited]
<http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=28825&news_channel_id=1020&channel_id=1020>
Canadian soldiers are bringing home from dusty Afghanistan a
powerful, drug-resistant bacterium that health officials have been
worrying about for several years.
3 Canadian soldiers who recently returned from Kandahar carrying
so-called "Iraqibacter" are under quarantine at a civilian hospital
in Quebec City. 2 civilian patients who came in close contact with
the soldiers at Hopital de l'Enfant-Jesus have also been isolated for
fear they may have contracted the bug officially named _Acinetobacter
baumannii_.
The [usually] hospital-acquired germ, commonly found in soil and
water, strikes weakened immune systems, especially in those
recovering from wounds. It has been known to cause conditions such as
pneumonia, meningitis as well as blood, urinary tract and wound
infections. Some people carry the bacteria on their skin without
showing symptoms.
2 years ago, the Public Health Agency of Canada warned Canadian
hospitals that outbreaks could happen after wounded soldiers returned
home from Afghanistan either sickened by the strain, or simply
carrying it in their system.
A 2007 report in the publication Wound Care Canada said incidences of
the strain have increased in American military hospitals. "With more
injured soldiers returning to Canada, we would expect the same
phenomenon to occur, albeit to a lesser scale, in Canada," the report
said. "Although rare, the finding of significant antimicrobial
resistance has made treatment more difficult. It is, therefore, an
emerging potential problem within hospitals."
Military hospitals treating USA troops serving in the Iraq, Kuwait
and Afghanistan 1st noticed an increase in _Acinetobacter baumannii_
infections in 2002, said a report by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. American soldiers have since dubbed the germ
"Iraqibacter."
A spokeswoman for Quebec City's Hopital de l'Enfant-Jesus said the
hospital has treated between 15 and 20 soldiers carrying the organism
since 2007. The 3 quarantined soldiers stayed at the military
hospital in Kandahar before arriving last Friday [14 Aug 2009] in
Quebec City from the war zone, Genevieve Dupuis said. "This isn't the
1st case we've had. We've received military patients returning from
Afghanistan with this bacterium since 2007," she added.
[Byline: Andy Blatchford]
Source: Canadian Press [edited]
<http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=28825&news_channel_id=1020&channel_id=1020>
Canadian soldiers are bringing home from dusty Afghanistan a
powerful, drug-resistant bacterium that health officials have been
worrying about for several years.
3 Canadian soldiers who recently returned from Kandahar carrying
so-called "Iraqibacter" are under quarantine at a civilian hospital
in Quebec City. 2 civilian patients who came in close contact with
the soldiers at Hopital de l'Enfant-Jesus have also been isolated for
fear they may have contracted the bug officially named _Acinetobacter
baumannii_.
The [usually] hospital-acquired germ, commonly found in soil and
water, strikes weakened immune systems, especially in those
recovering from wounds. It has been known to cause conditions such as
pneumonia, meningitis as well as blood, urinary tract and wound
infections. Some people carry the bacteria on their skin without
showing symptoms.
2 years ago, the Public Health Agency of Canada warned Canadian
hospitals that outbreaks could happen after wounded soldiers returned
home from Afghanistan either sickened by the strain, or simply
carrying it in their system.
A 2007 report in the publication Wound Care Canada said incidences of
the strain have increased in American military hospitals. "With more
injured soldiers returning to Canada, we would expect the same
phenomenon to occur, albeit to a lesser scale, in Canada," the report
said. "Although rare, the finding of significant antimicrobial
resistance has made treatment more difficult. It is, therefore, an
emerging potential problem within hospitals."
Military hospitals treating USA troops serving in the Iraq, Kuwait
and Afghanistan 1st noticed an increase in _Acinetobacter baumannii_
infections in 2002, said a report by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. American soldiers have since dubbed the germ
"Iraqibacter."
A spokeswoman for Quebec City's Hopital de l'Enfant-Jesus said the
hospital has treated between 15 and 20 soldiers carrying the organism
since 2007. The 3 quarantined soldiers stayed at the military
hospital in Kandahar before arriving last Friday [14 Aug 2009] in
Quebec City from the war zone, Genevieve Dupuis said. "This isn't the
1st case we've had. We've received military patients returning from
Afghanistan with this bacterium since 2007," she added.
[Byline: Andy Blatchford]
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