Jessica sent me this information concerning outbreaks of mucormycosis in Joplin tornado victims:
Rare fungal infection strikes Joplin tornado victims
Eight people injured by the devastating Joplin, Missouri, tornado have contracted a rare fungal infection, and three have died, officials said Friday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is assisting state and local health officials, who are investigating the cases.
All three individuals who died had serious injuries, as well as fungus, Jasper County Coroner Rob Chappel said. One of the deaths was caused by the infection, called mucormycosis, but the cause of death for the other two victims has not been determined, he said.
All eight patients sustained multiple injuries and secondary wound infections, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The infection can occur when dirt, vegetation or other material becomes lodged under the skin.
The death toll from the May tornado stood at 151 on Friday.
CDC researcher Dr. Benjamin Park told CNN that in most cases, people with weakened immune systems inhale spores and develop sinus or nasal infections that spread.
The Joplin cases apparently are a form of the severe infection that appears with soft-tissue injuries.
A spore on the tip of a tree, for example, can pierce the skin, Park said. The infection can progress a few weeks later and cause significant damage to tissue, which can require hospitalization, antibiotics and even removal of the tissue.
Although this is a rare infection, it can have extremely serious consequences, requiring prompt medical attention, Park said.
Anyone in the tornado area that is suffering wounds that are not healing should seek prompt medical attention, he added.
Deep skin fungal infection does not spread from human to human, Missouri officials said. No cases were attributed to air, food or water.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is assisting state and local health officials, who are investigating the cases.
All three individuals who died had serious injuries, as well as fungus, Jasper County Coroner Rob Chappel said. One of the deaths was caused by the infection, called mucormycosis, but the cause of death for the other two victims has not been determined, he said.
All eight patients sustained multiple injuries and secondary wound infections, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The infection can occur when dirt, vegetation or other material becomes lodged under the skin.
The death toll from the May tornado stood at 151 on Friday.
CDC researcher Dr. Benjamin Park told CNN that in most cases, people with weakened immune systems inhale spores and develop sinus or nasal infections that spread.
The Joplin cases apparently are a form of the severe infection that appears with soft-tissue injuries.
A spore on the tip of a tree, for example, can pierce the skin, Park said. The infection can progress a few weeks later and cause significant damage to tissue, which can require hospitalization, antibiotics and even removal of the tissue.
Although this is a rare infection, it can have extremely serious consequences, requiring prompt medical attention, Park said.
Anyone in the tornado area that is suffering wounds that are not healing should seek prompt medical attention, he added.
Deep skin fungal infection does not spread from human to human, Missouri officials said. No cases were attributed to air, food or water.
Do you remember what mucormycosis is? If not, check out link: Mucormycosis
See if you can differentiate between these organisms that can cause mucormycosis:
Another outbreak that you probably have heard about recently was the outbreak in Germany due to Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O104 . Here are a few links about that:
We will talk more about E. coli O157:H7 and other shiga toxin-producing strains of E.coli under GI tract infections.
This scare about E.coli and other bacteria in foods just supports my believe that if you eat a diet of mostly chocolate you will be healthy. Check out this demonstration:
4 comments:
The article on the STEC outbreak in Europe was really interesting. The fact that they could trace the origin of the particular strain found in Germany and France on the sprouts back to seeds that came from Egypt. That's so cool. I'm still not in completely agreeing with the only chocolate diet however, if I'm getting E. coli from eating "healthy" I might consider the switch.
Mrs. Jeff,
When I saw the article, I thought of you. It was neat for someone to call me and say hey do you know what this is? I was so excited to be able to tell them why yes I do. It is so weird that this broke out from the debris. I guess though that there were so many things torn apart by the tornados that it just allowed organisms to escape their lovly hiding spots. :)
This would be terrible. Imagine having your home destroyed and wounds all over your body only to find fungus inside your skin. This would definitely be the worst day ever. I am just so thankful that all of us were safe from all these things despite the destruction all around Alabama. My heart goes out to the people in Joplin and those here that suffered so greatly from the tornadoes.
This is a test.
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