From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-363868-300238
LONDON (UPI) -- Recent media hype over the "newly emerging superbug,"
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, is misplaced, British experts said.
Georgia Duckworth and Alan Johnson of the Health Protection Agency's
Center for Infections in London said headlines about S maltophilia
such as "no antibiotics can stop it" and "rising death toll in
hospitals" are unfounded. In fact, they say, S maltophilia infections
are relatively rare compared to infections caused by other species of
viruses and bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus.
Despite recent concerns, in 2007 S maltophilia caused 671 infections
in England and Wales, less than 1 percent of all bloodstream
infections in England and Wales comparing to 4,918 cases of
bloodstream infection caused by MRSA and 50,000 gastrointestinal
infections by Clostridium difficle, the researchers said.
S maltophilia infections are uncommon in healthy patients, aren't
easily spread and are usually treatable, in contrast to MRSA and C
difficile which can be difficult to treat and have epidemic potential,
the authors said.
The report is published in the British Medical Journal.