Monday, June 06, 2011

Be on Alert for 'Super Toxic' Bug in Travelers, CDC Says

E coli Infection 'Very Rare' but Deadly

Nancy A. Melville
June 3, 2011 — As health officials in Germany continued to seek the source of a uniquely toxic enterohemorrhagic Escherichia colioutbreak that has claimed the lives of at least 18 people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a notice to healthcare providers to be on alert for the Shiga toxin–producing E coli O104:H4 (STEC O104:H4) infections among travelers returning from Germany.
While there are some reports of the outbreak stabilizing, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that a total of 1823 cases of STEC O104:H4 have been reported, including 520 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially life-threatening complication of the infection that can cause kidney failure. Twelve HUS cases were fatal, and 6 deaths were reported among non-HUS cases
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