An outbreak of severe pneumonia in a Chinese hospital was caused by a highly drug-resistant and highly transmissible superbug, according to a study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Five patients who had undergone surgery for multiple traumas contracted Klebsiella pneumoniae, which responded poorly to all available antibiotics, the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and policy reports. The superbug not only infects the lungs and causes pneumonia, but also invades the bloodstream and internal organs. All five patients died of severe lung infection, multi-organ failure, or septic shock.
As antibiotics are infective against the strain, researchers call for early detection of the superbug, along with improved infection prevention and control policies in hospitals.
