Now We Have 'Flesh-Eating Pneumonia'

[Guest guest]

Now We Have 'Flesh-Eating Pneumonia'

By Amy Norton

3-1-02

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Staph bacteria carrying a specific toxin can

cause a severe, highly lethal type of pneumonia in otherwise healthy

children and young adults, according to French researchers.

They have so far linked infection with these toxin-carrying bugs to 29 cases

of pneumonia marked by widespread tissue destruction in the respiratory

tract. Of the 16 cases they report on in the March 2nd issue of The Lancet,

75% were fatal.

The responsible bacterial toxin, called Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL),

kills white blood cells. A small percentage of Staphylococcus aureus strains

have been found to produce the toxin, according to the new study's authors,

led by Dr. Jerome Etienne of the National Reference Center for

Staphylococcal Toxemia in Lyon, France.

Infections with Staphylococcus aureus are common and often minor, causing

problems such as pimples and other skin conditions. But the bacteria can

also spread to the blood and cause serious infections of the bone, heart and

other tissue.

Based on their series of cases, the researchers conclude that " pneumonia

caused by PVL-positive S. aureus seems to be a specific disease...with a

poor prognosis. " Because of the extensive destruction it causes in the lungs

and other tissue, they have dubbed the illness S. aureus necrotizing (death

of living tissue) pneumonia.

It is unclear how common this pneumonia is, Etienne told Reuters Health. But

based on the current evidence, he said, " we have the feeling " the incidence

is a minimum of one case per 10 million people every year.

Between 1986 and 1998, eight cases of severe pneumonia caused by

PVL-carrying Staph were reported in France, all in children and young

adults, according to Etienne's team. In the current study, the researchers

compared these cases--along with eight more identified in 1999--with cases

of pneumonia caused by Staph without the toxin.

These PVL-negative patients were far older, ranging in age from 59 to 81,

and typically had underlying conditions such as diabetes and lung disease

that put them at higher risk of pneumonia. In contrast, the PVL-positive

cases occurred in children, teens and adults in their 20s, none of whom had

serious underlying disorders.

The pneumonia itself was different as well. The young patients were more

likely to have high fever and cough up blood, the investigators found. Most

cases started with a flu-like illness that rapidly progressed to severe

pneumonia, with death of white blood cells and tissue destruction in the

lungs and throat.

Since these cases, the authors note, 13 more have been diagnosed in their

laboratory. In 1999, they add, four US children died of Staph infection,

three of whom had symptoms akin to those of necrotizing pneumonia.

Etienne said his team doesn't know why these PVL cases are concentrated in

children and young adults, when most cases of Staph pneumonia occur in

elderly patients with underlying conditions. One hypothesis, he said, is

that some younger people may lack protective antibodies against the

infection.

SOURCE: The Lancet 2002;359:753-759.

[Guest guest]

This just another of the modern medicines supper bugs from over use of antibiotics.

You have herd of necrotizing fascitis, skin destroying bacteria which is a Strep. A variant. It also hits the lungs and heart. We lost our youngest daughter age 19 to this type of pneumonia as she was fighting back from metastatic Ewings Sarc. to the lung.

These often hit fast and hard and you must not weight for labs test for results if suspected, do hit it with strong antibiotic and do not weight. This type can take out a healthy lung/person in 18 hours.

Just a word of note from experience, you can not always play it safe and wait on the lab report, some time you must use gut feelings or instinct.

C. W.

----- Original Message -----

From: Barbara Herskovitz

Sick Buildings

Sent: Saturday, March 02, 2002 8:38 AM

Subject: [] Now We Have 'Flesh-Eating Pneumonia'

Now We Have 'Flesh-Eating Pneumonia'By Amy Norton3-1-02NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Staph bacteria carrying a specific toxin cancause a severe, highly lethal type of pneumonia in otherwise healthychildren and young adults, according to French researchers.They have so far linked infection with these toxin-carrying bugs to 29 casesof pneumonia marked by widespread tissue destruction in the respiratorytract. Of the 16 cases they report on in the March 2nd issue of The Lancet,75% were fatal.The responsible bacterial toxin, called Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL),kills white blood cells. A small percentage of