The KPC bacterium is described as a “superbug” and is formed when common bacteria produce an enzyme called Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase. It was first observed in the United States in North Carolina more than 10 years ago and since that time been discovered in 35 states. Klebsiella bacteria live in the gut and can sicken people when they enter the via intravenous catheters inserted in the urinary tract or blood vessels and are part of a class of organisms known as Gram-negative bacteria.
According to a new study presented last week at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, nearly 40 health facilities in Chicago have reported an average of 10 KPC cases each, up from an average of four cases in 2009 in 26 facilities.
Although the number of people who have died in Chicago from KPC is still unclear, research indicates that KPC kills about 40 percent of people who become infected, according to Dr. Arjun Srinivasan, a medical epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An outbreak of KPC in Brazil earlier this year resulted in 18 deaths. In Chicago, 75 percent of patients who tested positive for KPC were in nursing homes or other facilities serving people with chronic illnesses. KPC bacteria is problematic because there are fewer treatments available for patients who develop the deadly urinary tract infections or pneumonia caused by the bacterium. –torrance stephens, ph.d.
