Folliculitis Treatment, Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors and More
I Cured My Superbug Infection But We Can't Count On Homegrown Remedies
I woke up one morning with the side of my face purple and my ear swollen to more than twice its normal size. I'll never forget the look on the face of the attending infectious disease physician when he told me I needed immediate emergency surgery to evacuate the site. That surgery consisted of cutting out and cauterizing the infected tissue behind my ear and a sizable portion of my earlobe and scalp, along with 50 stitches across four layers to piece the remains back together.
When the culture came back days later, it confirmed I was suffering from a bacterial "superbug," a pathogen that evolved to resist traditional antibiotics due to a phenomenon called antimicrobial resistance, or AMR. The infection was relentless. That first day was just the beginning of the nightmarish process of being an AMR patient. The infection continually returned. I needed more than a dozen additional surgeries with long courses of antibiotics that eradicated my gut flora – all with no resolution in sight.
Credit: Courtesy
Credit: Courtesy
I was a pacemaker manufacturer sales rep at the time, making daily rounds to help patients get the lifesaving devices they need. The superbug I contracted, Klebsiella aerogenes, is often found in hospitalized patients but uncommon in skin. I almost certainly picked this superbug up while working, likely doing something as innocuous as touching the wrong table in the wrong room, followed by my own scalp.
And so could you. Hospitals are prime breeding grounds for superbugs. In fact, superbugs were associated with nearly 173,000 American deaths in 2019, making AMR the third leading cause of death from disease in the United States behind heart disease and cancer.
In the end, I solved my own problem. After years of research on the chemistry equipment and second-hand machinery I installed in my kitchen and garage, I devised a first-of-its-kind antimicrobial ointment that can eliminate superbugs in wounds and shows no known resistance. Thanks to my one-man team, a credit line and the Food and Drug Administration help desk, it's now FDA-cleared and working miracles for others, and I am CEO of a company that works every day to bring this solution to more patients.
But as a society, we can't count on home-grown solutions to what could be a species-ending problem.
Since the introduction of antibiotics in the 20th century, bacteria have been evolving to resist them. It's really very simple: we want to kill them, and they want to live. Every use of an antimicrobial gives the target pathogens a chance to survive and come back stronger, rendering existing treatments less effective.
Bacteria evolve quickly. It can take about twenty minutes for a new generation to emerge. We are one bad-luck mutation away from a problem we're currently powerless to stop.
Antimicrobial stewardship programs -- which inform clinicians about appropriate antimicrobial use -- are critical. But COVID-19 erased years of progress. Early on, well-intended doctors prescribed antibiotics to gravely ill patients to ward off secondary infections. Meanwhile, surges in hospitalizations led resistant hospital-onset infections to jump 15% in 2020.
We need a steady supply of novel antimicrobials to have any hope of beating back superbugs. Nearly 5 million people died globally in 2019 in connection with antibiotic resistance, and AMR overall could kill 10 million people annually worldwide by 2050.
The problem is that under sound stewardship protocols, doctors should prescribe new antibiotics only when older ones won't work -- lest the bugs more quickly develop resistance to the new medicines. That means sales will be low. Under these circumstances, manufacturers can't recoup their research and development costs. This broken ecosystem is the main reason behind the exodus in investment toward novel antimicrobial R&D.
We must repair the disconnect between public health needs and private investment.
Fortunately, we know how to solve this problem: change the incentives. We did the same thing successfully to encourage new rare diseases treatments, which likewise would never generate enough sales to justify the development expense. The speedy response to COVID-19 also shows what we're capable of when incentives align with need.
The answer for the broken antimicrobials market is a plan called the Pasteur Act, which was recently reintroduced in Congress. The legislation would establish an alternative payment model whereby the government enters into contracts with antimicrobial developers to pay upfront for access to however much, or little, of the new treatment federal programs need. Patients will gain access to critically needed medications while antimicrobial innovators are assured a return on their investment.
Superbugs are a natural feature of evolution. More are coming. It would be a shame if we're not wise enough as a species to take readily available steps to keep them in check.
Bradley Burnam of Atlanta is a superbug survivor and the founder and CEO of Turn Therapeutics. His story is featured in the new documentary "HOLOBIOME." He will be among the panelists discussing microbes and the future of infectious disease Saturday at the Atlanta Science Festival.
Neti Pots Linked To Eye, Brain And Spinal Cord Infections Caused By Amoeba In Water
The use of neti pots and other types of nasal irrigation has been linked to Acanthamoeba infections — an amoeba that may be found in non-sterile water — according to the CDC.
Neti pots are commonly used to flush the nasal passages, helping to alleviate allergy symptoms or clear mucus during a sinus infection. "Neti pots…allow you to pour saline into your nostrils, as if you were pouring tea from a teapot," the Cleveland Clinic says.
The saline goes up one nostril, through the nasal passages, and out the other nostril.
But as the CDC points out in its report, ten people with Acanthamoeba infections said they'd practiced nasal irrigation before being infected with Acanthamoeba.
Three of the patients in the CDC's report died from their infections.
Tap water flowing from a faucet.Getty
The amoeba primarily causes two types of dangerous infections: Acanthamoeba keratitis, and Granulomatous Encephalitis.
Acanthamoeba keratitis affects the eyes, causing pain, blurred vision, and sensitivity to light.
Granulomatous Encephalitis is an infection of the brain and spinal cord, which the CDC says causes "headaches, stiff neck, nausea and vomiting, tiredness, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance and bodily control, seizures, and hallucinations."
With Granulomatous Encephalitis, "death usually occurs," the CDC says.
The CDC points out that in immunocompromised people, Acanthamoeba can also cause skin lesions.
"One patient developed symptoms after only 2 weeks of nasal rinsing, whereas others had been nasal rinsing for years." the CDC says in its report.
Acanthamoeba is the second type of amoeba linked to neti pots, as infections caused by Naegleria fowleri — commonly known as the brain-eating amoeba — have been attributed to tap water's use in nasal irrigation.
As the Mayo Clinic points out, you should only "use water labeled as distilled or sterilized" for nasal irrigation. If using tap water, you should "boil it for several minutes and then let it cool until it's only slightly warm, called lukewarm."
The problem, the CDC says, is that most people don't realize tap water isn't sterile.
"Tap water in the United States is treated to meet safe drinking standards; however, low levels of microorganisms remain in drinking water distribution systems, wells, and premise plumbing," a report published in the National Library of Medicine says, saying that up to one-third of respondents "incorrectly answered that tap water does not have bacteria or living things present."
And "more than half ...Of participants said that tap water could be used for rinsing sinuses," the report said.
"Educating against the use of unboiled tap water for nasal rinsing may be effective in preventing invasive Acanthamoeba infections," the CDC concludes in its report, "particularly among immunocompromised hosts."
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Dangerous Infection Soars To Record Levels In Japan And Experts Can't Explain Why
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsA deadly infection is spreading in Japan at a startling rate, with experts unable to work out why.
Streptococcal A, commonly known as Strep A, is known for causing strep throat in children. But a more severe form of the bacteria can lead to complications such as Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS).
The number of cases of the most severe form of streptococcus reached level highs last year with 941 confirmed cases of STSS, according to Japan Times.
The fatality rate of the infection is 30 per cent
(National Institute of Infectious Diseases)
However, the number of cases this year is already expected to surpass this record, with 378 cases recorded in the first two months of 2024.
Strep A infections are spread through close contact with an infected person, they can also be passed on through coughs, sneezes and wounds, the NHS explains.
The bacteria can be spread through coughing
(Alamy)
Some people have the bacteria in their body but are asymptomatic, but can still pass it on to infect others.
The National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) told The Guardian: "There are still many unknown factors regarding the mechanisms behind fulminant (severe and sudden) forms of streptococcus, and we are not at the stage where we can explain them."
What is Strep A?
Strep A is a common type of bacteria, which lives in the throat and on the skin, it is usually easily treated, but some infections are more serious, the NHS explained.
Milder infections caused by Strep A include scarlet fever, impetigo cellulitis and laryngitis which are all treatable with antibiotics, according to the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA).
Scarlet fever is a milder infection caused by Strep A
(Getty)
More serious infections come from a more invasive group of Strep A known as iGas.
The most severe form of the infection is STSS, of which symptoms include fever, chills, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting, according to the USA's centre for disease control.
In the most severe occurrences, STSS progresses to sepsis, organ failure and necrosis - also known as "flesh-eating disease".
The fatality rate of STSS is 30 per cent, according to the Guardian.
How to stop the spread
To reduce the chance of catching or spreading an infection: people should avoid close contact with infected people, practice frequent handwashing, use a tissue to cover their nose and mouth after coughing or sneezing and bin tissues quickly after use.
Why has Japan seen a rise?
According to some experts, the rapid surge in cases is connected to the lifting of restrictions during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Covid-19 was downgraded to the same severity category as seasonal flu in May 2023, which led the once vigilant population to become more lax, Ken Kikuchi, a professor of infectious diseases at Tokyo Women's Medical University told The Guardian.
Mask use was common throughout the Covid-19 outbreak
(Alamy/PA)
He said: "In my opinion, over 50 per cent of Japanese people have been infected by Sars-CoV-2 [the virus that causes Covid-19].
"People's immunological status after recovering from Covid-19 might alter their susceptibility to some microorganisms. We need to clarify the infection cycle of severe invasive streptococcal pyogenes diseases and get them under control immediately."
Common symptoms of strep A include:
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