Gram-negative bacteria-related deaths becoming more prevalent
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
February 18, 2009
Although MRSA has become known as the "superbug," gram-negative bacteria like Acinetobacter baumannii are proving to be just as deadly, reports The Los Angeles Times. Gram-negative bacteria are becoming harder to fight because they are eating up antibiotics that used to work for treatment. Developing new antibiotics is increasingly difficult. The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) estimates that the death toll related to gram-negative bacteria will soon rival that of MRSA-related deaths.
Though infections from Gram-negative bacteria are not required to be reported, the IDSA estimates that in 2002, the number of these infections resistant to drugs reported voluntarily to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by 300 large hospitals was about 104,000. About 102,000 MRSA infections were found that year.
