You've heard of MRSA, but what about Acinetobacter?

In the antibiotic-resistance world, MRSA gets most of the press. Sometimes, C. difficile works its way into a headline or two. But here's a reminder that other bacteria are growing stronger as well.

A study published online Wednesday in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology found that Acinetobacter is building up resistance to the antibiotic imipenem, often used as a last resort to combat blood infections and pneumonia in hospitalized patients. The bacterium is usually only a problem in intensive-care units -- but has also infected troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

The research was supported by Extending the Cure, which is trying to call attention to antibiotic resistance or, more specifically, "extend antibiotic effectiveness."

Here's the research brief. And more on Acinetobacter from the CDC. Plus two earlier Los Angeles Times stories on the bacterium:

A mysterious adversary preys on the war's wounded: "A strange, drug-resistant bacterium was infecting troops. Few had heard of it, and no one was sure of its origin."

Deadly bacteria defy drugs, alarming doctors: "A new category of bugs becomes more resistant to treatment, and their toll -- which already includes a Brazilian beauty queen -- is expected to rise."

But why stop there? Here's a list of other infectious diseases that you can pick up in the hospital.

Think of it as an incentive for staying well. And using antibiotics wisely.

-- Tami Dennis

Comments

[Steve Silberman]

Tami:

I certainly have heard of Acinetobacter baumannii, because some months before the LA Times story linked above, I published an in-depth exposé of the epidemic among troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in Wired magazine:

The Invisible Enemy
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.02/enemy.html

One of the reasons why so much "mystery" hovers around these infections is that their true source and extent was intentionally obscured by the Defense Department. For years, DoD spokesmen told the media that the bacteria was found in Iraqi soil, and perhaps even intentionally introduced into IED weapons by insurgents to create infections among our soldiers. In fact, however, the Pentagon's own inquiry had already discovered that the only places these strains of bacteria could be found in Iraq and Afghanistan were our own field hospitals, which were plagued by sanitation problems in the early days of the war, as I outline in my article. In other words, Iraq didn't bring this bacteria to us; we gave it to them, albeit unintentionally, and then created perfect conditions for the bacteria to evolve stronger resistance to antibiotics.

Not a pretty tale, but one that deserves wider notice.

[BrokenHouse]

MRSA, VRE, MRDO, C. Diff, you name it, hospitals got it. And so do you. Keep healthy, stay out of the hospital, if you can, because that's where people go to get sick today. I've been in the medical field long enough to know that this is the case. Plus, the less you go,the less the government will make off us when they completely socialize the multibillion dollar industry of "healthcare". Mom's start having your babies at home. Stay healthy. Educate yourselves. Self-sufficiency and Self-Reliance are key to making it through the times to come.

[Julian Lieb,M.D]

Ever since 1973, it has been known that lithium carbonate can remit streptococcal and staphylococcal skin infections. Unfortunately, lithium is inexpensive, and cannot be patented, thus not of commercial interest for this purpose.

[Revgen]

All people need to do is use silver colloid to combat these bacteria.

Unlike anti-biotic poisons, the bacteria cannot grow immune to silver.

[justwondering]

Acinetobacter needs to be put in the news and discussed more often. My friend just passed away from an infection on March 5, 2010. I had never heard of it until then. I've also spoken to several nurses who have never heard of it either. It's a terrible infection.