Britain's deadly bug possibly imported from U.S. or Canada
There are no reviewed versions of this page, so it may not have been checked for adherence to standards.
Wednesday, June 8, 2005
A hardy new strain of a deadly bacteria that has killed 12 elderly patients
and infected 300 others in a British hospital may have been imported from
either the United States or Canada.
The new variant of clostridium difficile, which causes severe diarrhea,
broke out 18 months ago at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, and it's speculated
that the bacteria might have been brought in by either an American or
Canadian patient to the hospital's famed spinal-injuries unit.
[1]
Initial investigation by Britain's Health Protection Agency indicates that
the new strain is similar to one circulating in the United States and
Canada.
[2]
The spore-forming bacteria thrives in the intestines when the normal
balance of bacteria shifts --- something that can happen after a dose of
antibiotics --- and toxins are then produced, which can cause extreme
diarrhea.
This new strain of clostridium is particularly resilient and has even shown
resistance to certain disinfectants. It spreads by contact and can survive
up to 70 days, living on hospital floors and toilet seats.
[3]
This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.
Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.
Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.
The text of this article has been released into the public domain. In the event that this is not legally possible, this article may be used for any purpose, without any condition, unless such conditions are required by law. This applies worldwide. Copyright terms on images, however, may vary, so please check individual image pages prior to duplication.
This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.
Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.
Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.
The text of this article has been released into the public domain. In the event that this is not legally possible, this article may be used for any purpose, without any condition, unless such conditions are required by law. This applies worldwide. Copyright terms on images, however, may vary, so please check individual image pages prior to duplication.
